Surfers to the rescue

Sunday, October 5, was supposed to be one of the most romantic days in a young L.A. couple’s life together. It might have been, until the hot-air balloon they had just gotten engaged in dipped into the ocean off Cardiff by the Sea.

The man chose sundown to propose, aboard a balloon owned by a Del Mar–based company named Panda-Monium. Around 6:30 p.m., according to what the couple told witnesses, the wind shifted and the air became stagnant, and the balloon dropped, just off Seaside Beach.

According to witnesses, the balloon would go down to touch the water, then go back up about 20 feet, then fall to touch the water again. The pilot couldn’t catch a wind current.

While the balloon drifted northward along the shoreline, as the basket tipped into the water, the woman was screaming for help. She said she wanted to jump out, but the pilot told her not to. They had to stay in the basket in order to maintain the balance and prevent the basket from shooting up and causing injury.

Surfers and paddleboarders came to the rescue. The pilot threw a line down to the waiting surfers about 20 feet below. Using the rope, surfers helped pulled the balloon toward shore. By the time the balloon got closer to the San Elijo State Beach Campground, lifeguards were able to go out into the surf and get the couple out. The pilot stayed in the basket with the balloon.

The balloon finally came to rest on shore, and no one was injured.

The woman, during the ordeal, said she was checking to make sure her ring was still there; and she held her cell phone straight up, so if they did go into the water, she might save the proposal pictures.