On the afternoon of May 15, 2025, Florida resident Andrew Smith was getting ready to head home after a day at work when his friend called to see if he wanted to head out to one of their local fishing spots. At first, Andrew was reluctant, but with some gentle convincing, and not wanting to pass up the beautiful weather, he agreed. The pair headed to Pensacola Beach, a pristine stretch of sand running several miles along the Gulf of Mexico.

Andrew and his friend set up just before the historic Fort Pickens, in the 21C section of the beach. They chose this spot specifically because Andrew planned to use his drone to go shark fishing, any closer to Fort Pickens, and they’d be encroaching on a no-fly zone. Typically, anglers head out in small boats or kayaks to drop bait for sharks, then return to shore to wait with the rest of their gear. But since Andrew has a seizure disorder, it’s unsafe for him to be in the water. Fortunately, drone technology allows him to surfcast safely from shore without risking his health.

Surfcasting with drones is becoming increasingly popular. By allowing anglers to drop bait hundreds of yards offshore without ever entering the water, drone fishing increases the odds of a successful catch and greatly enhances safety. Using GPS-enabled drones equipped with bait release systems, fishermen can precisely place large bait rigs in deep waters where big game fish like sharks are more likely to patrol. Additionally, drones provide a bird’s-eye view of the water, helping fishermen spot where sharks are likely to be caught.

Around 7 p.m., about ten minutes after Andrew had set up his gear, a young girl ran up to him and his friend, frantically asking if they, or anyone else on the beach, could swim. Her friend had been pulled out to sea by rip currents. A warning sign on the beach had cautioned people to stay out of the water due to dangerous currents, and lifeguards weren’t scheduled to resume duty until Memorial Day weekend. Neither Andrew, because of his condition, nor anyone else nearby was able to safely enter the water. With rip currents that strong, it would have been too risky for any non-professional to attempt a rescue.

That’s when Andrew realized that while he couldn’t swim out to the girl, his drone could. Spotting a flotation device on the beach, he ran to grab it and quickly attached it to the drone’s bait release system. “I ran back down to the drone and flew it out, and it was a terrible mess,” Andrew recalls. “I released it too early, it was really windy, it wasn’t close at all.” By then, the teenage girl had been struggling in the current for nearly five minutes, about 100 yards from shore, and her energy was fading fast.

Not willing to give up, another bystander found a second flotation device and rushed it to Andrew. Every second counted. Andrew knew that if he didn’t successfully drop the device directly to her, she might not make it. Staying calm, he attached the second flotation device to the drone. “I flew it back out, and after the first one, I could kind of tell how windy it was and stuff. So then I lowered it down, and had to kind of go slower and slower down to her because that was it,” he said, “that was the last opportunity we were going to have.”

A bystander filmed the drone hovering directly over the girl as a tether holding the flotation device slowly descended from it. As soon as she grabbed on, Andrew triggered the bait mechanism to release the line. About five minutes later, the first emergency responders arrived. The girl was brought safely back to shore, taken to the hospital, and given a clean bill of health. Emergency personnel later praised Andrew’s quick thinking and heroic actions, telling him that if he hadn’t been there, the girl would not have survived.

Andrew’s quick thinking and innovative use of technology turned what could have been a tragic day into a story of heroism and hope. His actions are a powerful reminder that courage doesn’t always require diving into danger, sometimes, it means using the tools you have, staying calm under pressure, and stepping up when no one else can. On that day at Pensacola Beach, a fisherman became a lifesaver, and a drone meant for shark bait became a lifeline.

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