(KGTV) -- An emotional rescue for a woman who fell from Sunset Cliffs Friday morning. She was saved by a surfer who rushed in to help.
It was a normal day of surfing for Matthew Alford until he saw one woman struggling to stay afloat.
"She literally could not swim," said Alford. "She was really, really having a hard time."
She tumbled down Sunset Cliffs and into the water. Alford immediately paddled towards her.
"She got on that board faster than, I mean, I've never seen anybody move that fast."
A move that kept her from going under. As she clung onto the board, she didn't think she'd make it.
"She was saying, 'I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die,' and I kept saying, 'You're not gonna die. I've got you. It's gonna be fine."'
Alford swam her to shore and helped her back up the rocks.
"She didn't have any time," he said. "She was gonna drown in another minute. For me, I'm positive she would have died."
She held onto her hero even after lifeguards arrived.
"She didn't want any part of them; it was really sweet. She wanted to cling to me. She just kept on hugging me and saying, 'You're my hero, you saved my life.' It was really emotional. I was glad that I made the choices that I did and stopped and helped her out. It's awesome."
