80 Strangers Formed a Human Chain Into the Ocean to Save a Drowning Family

On July 8, 2017, two young boys were swimming off Panama City Beach, Florida, when they were pulled into a powerful riptide. Their mother went in after them. Then other family members followed. Within minutes, nine people were trapped in the current, unable to reach shore.

The Idea

On the beach, a couple named Derek and Jessica Simmons watched the disaster unfold. Jessica had recently watched a nature documentary showing how fire ants link their bodies together to form living bridges during floods, saving their colony from drowning.

She turned to the strangers around her and started grabbing hands. "Form a chain!" she shouted. One person grabbed on. Then another. Then another.

80 Strangers

Within minutes, 80 complete strangers had locked arms in a human chain stretching from the dry sand into the Gulf of Mexico. Some were chest-deep in the water. None of them knew each other. None of them had been asked by any authority. They just saw people drowning and decided to become a bridge.

The chain held for over an hour as volunteers worked to pass the exhausted family members hand over hand back to shore. It was grueling. The current fought them the entire time. But the chain held.

Everyone Survived

All eleven people were pulled from the water alive. The two boys, their mother, and every family member who had gone in after them survived without serious injury.

When reporters asked the eight-year-old boy what he thought about the rescue, he said he hoped that one day he could rescue the people who rescued him.

The rescue plan that saved eleven lives came from watching ants on television.