SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Two Navy sailors happened to be at Cabrillo National Monument when a boat carrying about 30 people tipped over and was destroyed, and those two men jumped into the water to save help save people from the wreck.
The incident happened Sunday morning off of Point Loma’s coast.
Officials said about 30 people were on the boat, which is suspected of being used to smuggle people into the country, when the boat hit the rocky shore along Cabrillo National Monument, tipping over then eventually getting destroyed by waves. Three people died in the incident.
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Cale Foy, an active duty rescue swimmer for the Navy, said he and another man named Scott, who is in training to become a Navy SEAL, saw the people in the water and instantly knew what to do.
“Before we jumped in the water we looked at each other and said yeah I’m comfortable going into the water and shore break, washing machine effect is what we call it and he’s like yeah I’m good for it too so we smiled at each other and we jumped in and did what we had to do,” said Foy.
Foy said they used parts of the destroyed boat to create places for people to hold onto in the water. He said they never questioned the need for them to help.
“I gave everything to my wife and said I’ll see you here in a little bit and just jumped in the water,” he said, later adding that “rescuing is what we do that’s our line of business.”
Eventually, emergency personnel arrived and began helping with rescue efforts.