A Labrador mix swept out to sea off San Diego was pulled off a jet-ski in a dramatic rescue that lifeguards are calling one of the most extraordinary saves they’ve seen — and the dog’s AirTag may have made the difference.
Five-year-old Sadie slipped out of a vacation home near Ocean Beach on Sunday afternoon, bolting during a football game and heading toward the shoreline. Her owners began tracking her via the AirTag on her collar, watching the signal drift dangerously close to the surf. By the time they reached the beach, Sadie had already been spotted by a surfer struggling in the Mission Bay channel, prompting San Diego Fire-Rescue lifeguards to launch an immediate search.
Search intensifies as rip current pulls dog offshore
Multiple crews deployed jet skis and a surf boat as U.S. Coast Guard personnel monitored the area. Conditions were rough — a strong rip current and choppy water — and for an hour there was no sign of the dog. Lifeguard Garrett Smerdon said the team refused to accept the worst, noting that labs “are fighters” and can survive longer than expected in the water.
Still, with daylight fading and no sightings, the search was moments from being called off. Then came what lifeguards described as a “miracle.” Jet Ski 2, looping back toward shore, spotted a small black shape bobbing nearly half a mile offshore near South Mission Beach. As the craft approached, lifeguard Jack Alldredge realised it wasn’t debris — it was Sadie, exhausted but still paddling.
Emotional reunion on the beach
Rescuers lifted the trembling dog onto the jet ski and transferred her to the surf boat before bringing her to Lifeguard Headquarters, where her owners were waiting in tears. Despite the ordeal — she was later found to have drifted nearly two miles — Sadie escaped with no major injuries.
The department credited the successful rescue to quick reporting, teamwork, and the AirTag that helped narrow the search zone. For her part, Sadie left the beach wrapped in towels, tail finally wagging — a survivor of a terrifying rip current and the star of a very rare happy ending.
