Calvary Chapel Pastors Rescue Drowning Boy & Uncle on Florida Beach
Photos courtesy of Joey Buran
Luke Buran (left), Nate Gallagher (center), and Joey Buran relax at the Fort Pierce, FL, beach where they worked together to rescue a 10-year-old boy and his uncle from drowning on October 30. Joey, a former professional surfing champion, is the senior pastor of Worship Generation Church in Fountain Valley, CA. Luke is his son, and Nate is an assistant pastor at Calvary Chapel Vero Beach, FL.
*Name has been changed to protect the family’s identity
The Fort Pierce, FL, beach was quiet as Joey Buran, his son Luke, and son-in-law Nate Gallagher were packing to leave with their families after a fun hour of riding the waves. That peace was broken on October 30, however, when Nate realized a boy and a man were in danger of drowning and the three men raced into action to help.
Nate is an assistant pastor at Calvary Chapel Vero Beach, FL, and the son of Senior Pastor Jim Gallagher. Joey is the senior pastor of Worship Generation Church in Fountain Valley, CA, and a former world champion surfer. His athletic son, Luke Buran, will begin sheriff’s deputy training soon in Florida. Joey was vacationing with his family, all who attend CC Vero Beach.
A family member of the two rescued testified on social media after witnessing the event: Little did they know God had plans for them that day. … Without those beautiful souls, I couldn’t imagine what this day would be like. … I know this situation had God’s hand all over it. She called the men “heroes” and “guardian angels”.
Although the beach wasn’t crowded during the off-season, the waters of the Atlantic Ocean were stirred up by Hurricane Melissa, Joey declared. “It was very active, with a lot of swell, energy, and water moving around. At Fort Pierce, you get a lot of riptides.” They were north of an inlet, a jetty, the churning water pushing toward the jetty. “It was rough.”
Luke, Nate, and Joey (left to right) reflect on the miraculous, God-ordained timing of the rescue. They and their families were preparing to leave the beach as Nate realized that the boy and his uncle had been swept out too deep by a rip current and were unable to swim back to shore. The waters of the Atlantic Ocean that day had been churned up by Hurricane Melissa.
Another family joined them shortly before they prepared to leave, including 10-year-old *Juan, a Florida native, and his uncle from Minnesota, who was enjoying his first visit to the ocean. Juan was happily playing by the water’s edge. Joey continued, “I had my back to the ocean, and suddenly I see Nate run and grab his board and charge into the ocean. I knew something was up. I turned around and saw the kid and his uncle about 40 yards off the beach.”
Joey explained that there were sandbars, like deeper water spots—shallow sand, then deeper water, then shallow sand. “They’d gotten pulled off the inside sandbar into a deeper spot, and now they’re being pulled farther out to a sandbar where the waves are really rough, just crashing.”
Juan and his uncle tried to hold their hands up, as if calling for help, but family members on the beach were helpless, unable to swim. “It was radical. Juan and his uncle were going down. Running a little behind Nate, I had to pull a board out of its bag, and Luke ran in right away. He’s an excellent swimmer. Nate’s on his board and Luke’s on his way trying to get to him.” Joey recalled the terrifying moments. “They were going under—they were gone. Nate and Luke got there just in time, literally. Even 30 seconds and no more than 2 minutes, Juan and his uncle would have drowned. Nate got there just in time and pulled Juan onto his board.” Luke arrived and helped to bring in the man. They all came in with the white water-like surf.
Joey described the interval of waves on the Atlantic Ocean as more like a churned-up Great Lake. “The intervals are like five to seven seconds between waves. The boy and his uncle were getting beat on. So when those waves are beating on you, they’re doing so relentlessly. Kaboom, kaboom, kaboom.”
The awaiting family on the beach—two women—were in shock, Joey noted. “I tried to calm them down, telling them, “Everything’s OK. It happens. We’ve all been rescued.” Believing everyone to be safe, Nate and his family left, and Luke returned to his family.
Juan was lying face-down in the sand. “I’m watching this kid, and he’s really not moving much. I felt like the Lord just spoke to me: He’s in shock and they’re in shock, Joey admitted. “They were just so stunned and didn’t know what to do.” Joey tried to talk to Juan, who wasn’t responsive, and realized they needed to get him to the emergency room soon. “He looked like he was fading, lethargic. I’ve learned so often to trust your first instinct, … that the Holy Spirit will guide us in all things. I just had to make that quick call to not wait for an ambulance. I’m just so grateful it all turned out like it did.”
Nate enjoys surfing in the ocean. During the CC Vero Beach service the following Sunday, he related that the rescue illustrated one way to live as a biblical citizen. The family of the boy and his uncle, overjoyed their lives were spared, called the men “heroes” and “guardian angels”.
But Joey knew he couldn’t carry the child approximately 75 yards to the parking lot. He called Luke over, who easily picked Juan up, placing him over his shoulder “army style.” They sprayed him with water and covered him with towels. Before his aunt drove the boy to a nearby hospital, Joey reminded her to stay calm and prayed for Juan and the family. They exchanged cell phone numbers and kept in touch.
A family member reported on social media that the hospital kept Juan overnight and treated him with antibiotics to prevent pneumonia: I just got news he is doing amazing and they are discharging him today. But this is the sad reality—this outcome, this post would be completely different if those guardian angels weren’t with us on the beach that day. Even if they had decided to leave 5 minutes earlier, my nephew and brother-in-law would not be here today. Juan’s mother texted Joey, thanking them and praising God.
Joey revealed, “Every surfer knows, we’re always looking out for others. It’s kind of second nature for surfers and watermen to be aware of that. All we did was what we’d normally do.” However, he added, “It was scary. I feel like time was such a critical element in this whole story.” Everything happened within a 20- to 30-minute time span.
“It really was a miracle. We all had a role. If Nate had not seen it right then, both probably would have drowned no more than three minutes later. Nate Gallagher saved that kid’s life. Luke wouldn’t normally have been at the beach with them. I don’t know if Nate could have gotten both the uncle and kid out together. Luke got there swimming so fast. And without Luke, I don’t know how we could have gotten the kid to the parking lot.”
During his teaching the following Sunday, Nate shared briefly about the rescue, using it as one example of what happened to him that week to illustrate living as a biblical citizen, basing it on Philippians 3:12-21. “Thursday morning, I was at the beach, and [in a] kind of a dramatic event, a 10-year-old boy got caught in a rip current and very quickly was getting sucked out to sea. My brother-in-law and I quickly raced out, and I was able to get him on my surfboard, and we brought him in and rescued him. When we got in, my father-in-law Joey prayed for and ministered to the family.”
Nate expounded, “… I thought, This is what it means to live as a citizen of Heaven on earth. It’s to navigate biblical principles into your everyday life, it’s to minister to a person in need that’s right in front of you, and it’s to be present with your family in the ordinary parts of life.”
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14
Video Caption: A member of the Buran/Gallagher family took some early video of the rescue as Nate ran out to save the boy.
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