Johnny McGee says he’s been surfing for more than a half-century.
That experience in the water paid off Saturday, when McGee, 67, of Pasadena, Texas, joined three other surfers in rescuing two young women from rough waters stirred by Hurricane Hanna.
The incident happened at Surfside Beach in Brazoria County, south of Houston, KPRC-TV of Houston reported.
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“I guess I was meant to be there because there was nobody else out there,” McGee told the station.
McGee heard the two young women, ages 17 and 18, screaming for help after huge waves swept them into the water from a jetty where they had been taking photos, KPRC reported.
So McGee paddled out toward the women on his surfboard, asked the women to grab his legs, then they all paddled back toward shore.
As they drew closer to land, three men came out from the shore to help McGee and the women make it the rest of the way.
“I don’t know their names but kudos to them too, for helping out,” McGee said.
One of the men was identified as Thomas Saucedo, Houston’s KTRK-TV reported.
McGee said he tried his best to prevent the women from panicking during the ordeal.
“Surfers know through experience, [if] you go underwater [you should] relax, relax, relax,” McGee said. “Don’t fight it or you’re going to end up using your energy and your air.”
The women, who did not want to be identified, suffered minor cuts and bruises and were treated at a hospital. They were expected to be OK, KPRC reported.
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Hurricane Hanna made landfall in South Texas as a Category 1 hurricane on Saturday but weakened to a tropical storm as it headed inland.
It dumped about 16 inches of rain in South Texas and northern Mexico, with heavy subsequent flooding blamed for at least two deaths in the region, with at least three more people reported missing.