It sounds like something out of a Disney film, but the crazy moment a scuba diver was rescued by a group of “mermaids” was caught on camera.
Pablo Avila was scuba diving off California’s Catalina Island when he suddenly lost consciousness in the water.
His friends immediately sprung into action, swimming over to rescue him when they found themselves surrounded by what appeared to be mermaids.
“We’re pulling him, and we’re getting a little winded and a little tired out and then out of nowhere, a bunch of mermaids show up,” Avila’s friend, Javier Claramunt, recalled to Fox 11.
Although appearing to have mermaid tails, the women were actually sporting diving fins while training for the Professional Association of Diving Instructors Advanced Mermaid Program when they realized the diver was in trouble.
Swimming over to him, the group helped take Avila’s gear off and get him to shore — while giving him mouth to mouth — and brought him to paramedics who were waiting.
According to mermaid-in-training Elaina Thomas, the group was practicing the protocol for rescuing another mermaid when they noticed the man struggling and coughing foam, which she noted was a sign of an air embolism and put into action what she’d learned.
“It’s not just blowing bubbles,” Thomas said, of being a mermaid. “It’s hard work, but it’s worth it!”
According to Fox 11, Avila has recovered and is doing well.