Mother and son rescued after drifting out to sea on giant inflatable swan

A mom and son who drifted out to sea on a trendy inflatable swan raft are cautioning others to use Instagram-friendly floatation devices only in swimming pools.

Tara Myers of Bradenton, Florida purchased the Mega Swan to use during an October 21st trip to Anna Maria Island in the Gulf of Mexico with her 7-year-old son Brennan Saletta, according to The Islander, a weekly Florida newspaper. After blowing up the raft, the mother and son paddled out in the calm sea. “Then it happened so quickly,” the mom told the paper. “The wind, the currents took us straight out from the Sandbar (Restaurant).”

The family floated one mile from shore for more than an hour. “We were drifting — drifting to Mexico,” Myers told The Islander.

According to WFLA, Myers panicked and began swimming quickly, padding and kicking her feet toward the shore unsuccessfully. “I was just exhausted, and we were not going anywhere. Like I was doing that for an inch,” she told the station. She also tried to signal people in boats, to no avail.

Finally, people on the beach spotted the oversized swan and called 911. A rescue boat from the West Manatee Fire Department eventually found the mother and son and brought them back to shore.
“I literally just laid down on that swan float and cried. So hard because this could have ended so much worse, and I didn’t want him to know that I was that scared,” Tara told WFLA.

A representative from the West Manatee Fire Department was not available for comment and Myers did not return Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment.

A representative of Intex Recreation Corp. which makes the Mega Swan did not return Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment. On the company website, the description for the floatation device reads, “What a perfect way to float and lounge away at the pool or the beach with Intex Mega Swan Island!… Designed to look like a gigantic swan, it is a fantastic addition to your pool…Great for riding, playing or lounging.”

When Myers and her son arrived safely to shore, the boy popped a hole in the swan using his shark’s tooth necklace and a firefighter threw it in a dumpster.

Myers said the experience was the scariest she’s ever endured. “I want people to know it’s not a beach float,” she told The Islander.

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