DEL MAR, Calif. (KGTV) — It was not an easy decision at the beach in Del Mar on June 2 when Kevin Barrett and Cameron Whiting swam toward a shark to save the life of a fellow swimmer.
“Heard the scream for help, the shark, and I turned to Cameron and said let’s go,” Barrett said.
The two were with a North County swimming club of about 16 others. They were finishing an open-water swim when they heard 46-year-old Caleb Adams screaming for help. A shark bit Adams in the chest, and he was quickly bleeding out.
“As much as I wanted to swim away from the attack, I would’ve regretted being in a place to help him and not doing it,” Whiting said.
Barrett and Whiting barely knew each other but made for an incredible team.
“Kevin hoisted him over on his back and started swimming him in,” Whiting said.
A lifeguard met them out in the water and handed them aboard.
“[I] got Caleb off my chest, put him onto the surfboard. At that point, I was gassed. I'm like, 'Cameron, I need you to swim him in and paddle. I need your strength,'” Barrett said.
Together, they got Adams to shore, and paramedics took him to the hospital, where he fully recovered. Their split-second decision to help earned them the Carnegie Medal, an award recognizing civilians who perform acts of heroism. The two are among eighteen others receiving the honor and expect to get it in the next few months.
“I think people do the right thing. When being strong is your only option, that’s what you do,” Barrett said.
In reflecting on this experience, Whiting and Barrett say they've realized that a little bit of courage can have a big impact.
