By Claudia Iseman
It was the perfect vacation day in Hawaii for the Acosta family when suddenly the wind picked up and the surf turned rough. 21-year-old Sarah Acosta was beach combing on shore while her mom and sister were floating near a reef when she noticed her mother starting to struggle in the rough water.
The Cabrillo student, who is certified as a pool lifeguard, wasted no time in swimming about 75-yards to her mom as her sister called out to her for help.
Sarah Acosta (right) with her mom.
“I could see the current dragged my mom onto the reef and she was stuck there,” said Acosta. She used her lifeguard training and pulled her mom on top of her with a lifeguard maneuver she had practiced and was able to safely swim back to shore. She was trained and certified as a Water Safety Instructor by Seahorse Swim School in Santa Cruz just last year.
“I thank God for giving me the opportunity with the Red Cross. The lifesaving skills I learned in that course I will have for the rest of my life,” said Acosta.
In another heroic feat here in Santa Cruz, six surfers rescued a family of six whose boat capsized in rough surf at Steamer Lane in early February.
On June 15, Acosta and the group of six young surfers will be recognized by The American Red Cross with a Certificate of Merit Lifesaving Award during a volunteer ceremony at the Seascape Golf Club.
Five are minors and are not named. The adult, Darryl Virostko, who goes by the nickname “Flea,” has won numerous awards for big wave surfing, including Mavericks three times but this will be his first Red Cross Certificate of Merit award. A graduate of Santa Cruz High, Virostko was humble about the award. “it’s nice. Anyone would have done what I did,” said Virostko.
Four of the six surfers pose with Santa Cruz Fire Chief Rob Oatey (second from right). • Courtesy of the Santa Cruz Fire Department
The big wave surfer explains how the chaotic event unfolded as a huge swell was rolling through Steamer Lane: “My first thought was what is this guy doing? Then I saw it happen and the boat was upside down and everybody just worked together. I had the father on my board and there was a language barrier because he didn’t speak English but everyone stepped in. Once we got all four kids, we all communicated with each other to make sure we had everyone. My friend swam under the boat to make sure nobody was trapped underneath.”
Santa Cruz Fire Chief Rob Oatey is quick to heap praise on the courageous surfers. “We see it time and again in Santa Cruz. Our local surf community is an extension of our public safety network, often assisting our Fire Department and Marine Division by initiating rescues.”
Michele Averill is CEO of the Central Coast Chapter of the American Red Cross, Averill says giving out awards is her favorite part of the job. “It’s so inspiring. Youth these days get a bad rap for always looking at their phones or constantly watching Tic Tok.” The June 15 awards ceremony is part of the event that honors local Red Cross volunteers. “Volunteers are inspired by our community and the community is inspired by our volunteers,” said Averill.
TOP PHOTO: Sarah Acosta (second from left) stands with her family in a photo from the vacation where the rescue happened.