Travis Brady and two friends were out for a day of red snapper fishing when they noticed a houseboat going adrift. The weather had taken a turn for the worse and the friends were headed back to Panama City Marina when they noticed the capsized houseboat and debris floating in the water.
The waves had grown, reaching 5 to 6 feet. Brady and his friends rushed over in theiri boat to help, while another man (later identified as Jordan Boyd) in a boat nearby jumped into the water to assist. According to Brady, Boyd swam over without a life jacket, broke open the houseboat’s window and freed the three people trapped inside.
“He is the true hero of this story. Without hesitation, he was just in the water helping those people,” Brady said.
A nearby pontoon boat had also capsized, leaving one person adrift. Brady and his friends helped all four people back to shore.
What started out as a regular day of fishing for Brady and his friends turned into a moment of selfless courage they won’t soon forget.
“It restores your faith in humanity. Makes you really reflect on the things that are really important in life. I’m going to try not to get emotional,” he said. “It was an intense moment that ultimately, I’m just going to say, it came down to God putting us in the right place at the right time.”
