Trip Martin, his mother and other members of his family were on Grayton Beach in South Walton, Florida, to enjoy the sun, sand and water on Aug. 1. Trip left the beach a hero — two days before his 11th birthday, said Trip’s father, Drake Martin.

“There’s a lake called Western Lake that drains into the Gulf of Mexico, and it occasionally opens up into the water. Sometimes the water comes really hard and really fast. On that day, the surf was aggressive at the same time, so it was strong on both sides,” he said.

One minute everyone was having a great time, and in the next minute, everyone in the water was in trouble, Drake said.

While out on his board, Trip said he saw a mother swimming out, screaming for help for her two sons in trouble. The young surfer had spent most of his summer in the South Walton Fire Department’s Junior Lifeguard training classes, so he knew immediately what to do.

“I paddled over there and got both kids hanging on my board,” he said. “I got the littler one on top of my board, and the other kid had a boogie board, so I held on to the boogie board leash so he wouldn’t float away.”

Trip paddled with one arm and both legs as quickly as possible, headed for shore. As soon as the boys approached the beach, the parents of the other two boys ran over and grabbed them, Trip said.

“Their mom started crying,” he said. “I never got the chance to meet her. It was all very emotional.”

Source: Jackson Sun

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Trip Martin, his mother and other members of his family were on Grayton Beach in South Walton, Florida, to enjoy the sun, sand and water on Aug. 1. Trip left...