Two young women from West Virginia who fell off personal watercraft into the water in Port Canaveral were rescued moments before nearly being hit by a cruise ship, Brevard County deputies said.
Skylar Penpasuglia, 19, and Allison Garrett, 20, were enjoying spring break and riding the personal water crafts in Port Canaveral Saturday. One of the riders fell off the jet ski and when she tried to climb back on it, the jet ski flipped upside down, deputies said. The women kept trying to get onto the jet ski, but the wind pushed them into the Port channel into the path of the Carnival Magic, deputies said.
Seaport Security Marine Deputy Taner Primmer, who was providing security escort for the cruise ship, saw what was happening. Primmer steered his boat into the path of the ship and pulled the two women to safety. The harbor master pilot of the cruise ship was able to veer the ship and avoid the women and deputy, investigators said.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said that he “could not be more proud of the actions of Deputy Tanner Primmer, a member of our SeaPort Security Marine who placed his life in peril without hesitation to rescue the port visitors, and the harbor master pilot who not only maintained communication with Deputy Primmer, but was able to safely veer the ship, which provided Deputy Primmer the extra seconds needed to save the young girls.”
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