Swimmers praying for help rescued by boat named ‘Amen’

AUGUSTINE, Florida (LOG News Service)—A pair of Florida teens saw their prayers answered after becoming stranded for several hours about 2 miles from shore.

News outlets report that 17-year-olds Tyler Smith and Heather Brown were swimming at Vilano Beach near St. Augustine during a senior skip day in April when strong currents pulled them out to sea.

The Christ’s Church Academy students say they were holding onto each other and praying to God for help just before Captain Eric Wagner and his crew spotted them after hearing Smith scream for help. Wagner’s boat is called Amen.

Crewmembers aboard Amen, who were sailing from South Florida to New Jersey, pulled the teens on board and contacted the U.S. Coast Guard.

“It was kind of surprising we heard them. Especially when they were 150 yards away, almost 200 yards away,” Wagner told CNN. “But it was definitely the scream that we heard and that’s why we were looking around.”

Smith and Brown are seniors at Christ’s Church Academy and are set to graduate in May.