A woman was left red-faced after stripping down to her underwear to save what she believed was a drowning man, only to discover he was an elite military scuba diver in training. The incident occurred at Lake Jocassee in South Carolina, where the jogger spotted a figure floating motionless approximately 40 feet from the shoreline.
Dramatic rescue attempt
Fearing the worst, she bolted towards the water without hesitation. Recounting the incident online, she said: "This dude looked dead - dead. He was facing away from me, his head tipped back, eyes closed, bobbing like a fishing lure. No one else was around, so I thought he was crazy out here scuba diving alone at the crack of dawn."
Certain the man required saving, she kicked off her shoes, removed her clothing down to her bra and underwear, and plunged straight towards him. She added: "I didn't yell to check if he was okay. I just took off my shoes and stripped to my skivvies to save him. I was wearing contact lenses, so I swam hard in his direction with my eyes closed."
Awkward realization
Upon reaching him and opening her eyes, she sensed something was amiss. "He was staring at me like I'd lost my mind, so I blurted out, 'Are you okay?' He took his regulator out and said, 'Yes,'" she recalled. Only then did she realize he was a seasoned scuba diver.
"I turned to get the hell out of there, shouting over my shoulder, 'I thought you needed saving!' to explain my stupidity," she said. Matters became more uncomfortable when another diver surfaced nearby, followed by several others rising from the water, all chuckling at the confusion.
Struggle back to shore
The initial diver courteously accompanied her back towards the shoreline, but the mortification continued. Midway through the return journey, she found the swim more demanding than anticipated and struggled to reach land. The diver proposed towing her, but she declined.
"The beach was much further than I had anticipated," she said. "I was trying to breathe normally while pretending I wasn't completely exhausted. I joked, 'You're lucky you weren't actually dying because it would've taken everything I had to drag your sorry ass this far.' He laughed before offering me a tow. I said, 'Hell no.' Even if I had to doggy paddle, I wasn't accepting defeat."
Military training revelation
Upon reaching shore, she learned the group were recent military college graduates undertaking open-water training drills. "They'd been out there at least part of the night," she said. "I'm sure I completely ruined whatever drill they were doing." Still in her sports bra and underwear, she attempted to stride confidently out of the lake before suggesting the divers join her for "an absurdly overpriced beer" and then jogged back to retrieve her garments.
Reactions online
The story reappeared on Reddit, captivating readers. One joked: "I feel like there are probably easier ways to get a guy. A+ for effort." Another added: "Did they go the distance? Other than the distance from the regulator to the shore, that is." A third asked: "Merman and firefly, where are you at now?" One more said: "Military guys are notoriously easy to catch. He's probably out buying the wedding ring right now."
