Couple's Proposal on Hot Air Balloon Ends in Surfer Rescue

Couple's Proposal on Hot Air Balloon Ends in Surfer Rescue

A couple who just got engaged aboard a hot-air balloon near Cardiff-by-the-Sea on Sunday had to be rescued by surfers when the balloon started drifting out to sea, according to FOX5 San Diego. 

The balloon was gliding over homes near the coast around 6:30 p.m. after it started experiencing altitude issues, and then the wind blew it offshore. The pilot let the messenger line of the balloon plunge down to surfers, who tugged the balloon down to the water. Lifeguards then rescued the passengers, one of whom did not know how to swim, and towed the balloon ashore.

The incident followed a proposal by a man aboard to his girlfriend. Mark Burnz, who captured the incident on video, said, “Yeah this is pretty crazy. It was pretty wild. We just talked to hot air balloon people. They’re really great people. They take safety very seriously, and for whatever reason, the atmosphere conditions changed and took them over the water.”

Encinitas lifeguard Capt. Larry Giles said it had been 14 years since lifeguards had rescued a hot air balloon.

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.