Josh Claramunt began yelling for help when his father’s best friend Pablo Avila lost consciousness while they were on a dive. Help quickly arrived, albeit in a form he did not expect.
A group of divers in trouble while off the coast of Santa Catalina Island near California were shocked when a group of mermaids came to their rescue.
Josh Claramunt was on the dive with his father and father’s best friend Pablo Avila when Avila lost consciousness.
“Honestly, I thought I was looking at a dead man,” Claramunt tells Inside Edition.
He began shouting for help, and help quickly arrived, albeit in a form he did not expect.
“I get three ‘helps’ out and then honestly, just a troop of mermaids pop up out of the water,” he says. “It's just like a Disney movie.”
The mermaids—Elaina Garcia, Elle Jimenez and Chin Burger—sprang into action when they heard Claramunt’s cries.
“I looked over, saw them and immediately sprinted as fast as I can,” one of the women says. “I made the decision to give mouth-to-mouth because he was so dire.”
At the same time, Claramunt started to hyperventilate, and so another mermaid dove in to help.
“We want to avoid other emergencies, (and we) already had unconscious diver,” she says.
A third mermaid helped pull everyone to shore.
“My body went into auto pilot, rescue mode, what can I do,” she says.
Inside Edition brought Claramunt and the mermaids back together. They hugged as they reunited.
“You’re the one who saved me and you're the one who saved Pablo,” he told the women.
“Its just been a crazy experience . now I’m actually meeting the mermaids in the flesh out of the water,” he tells Inside Edition.
So where did these angels of the sea come from?
They are a group of women who were nearby bon a training exercise as part of a Professional Association of Diving Instructors, or PADI, advanced mermaid rescue course when they heard Claramunt yelling for help. They are highly experienced scuba divers and diving instructors.
“I think it's important to know the mermaids are athletes, we are well trained and we practice,” one of the women says.
“It’s just a miracle that we were in there,” another adds. “Divine timing.”
