A 5-year-old girl plunged 49 feet from a moving cruise ship into the open ocean. Her father heard his wife screaming and raced toward the railing, only to discover that their daughter was gone. It happened aboard the Disney Dream near the Bahamas, where a family vacation took a terrifying turn when the little girl fell from the ship’s fourth deck. When her father realized what had happened, he jumped overboard after her, plunging nearly 50 feet into the ocean. But when he surfaced, he couldn’t see his daughter anywhere. He began desperately calling out for her, searching the water until he finally heard her calling back. He swam toward her and managed to reach her, but they were still stranded in the open ocean as the massive cruise ship began turning around. For roughly 20 minutes, he kept his little girl afloat, holding her above the water until a rescue boat finally reached them and brought them back to safety. Both survived, although the father suffered two fractures in his spine from the fall. It takes an incredible amount of courage to jump nearly 50 feet into the open ocean, not knowing what awaits you below. But this father didn’t hesitate to put his own life on the line for his little girl. Thank God they both made it home.

A 10-foot alligator grabbed a 73-year-old woman by the leg and dragged her 70 feet into a pond. Her neighbor jumped into the water to save her, but moments later, they were both pulled beneath the surface. Carol DeLillo was doing yardwork near her home in South Carolina when the massive alligator suddenly attacked, clamping its jaws around her leg and dragging her into the water. Nearby, Kenneth McCarter heard her cries for help. Without hesitation, he rushed into the pond and swam toward her. Kenneth managed to grab Carol, but as he struggled to pull her free, they were both dragged underwater. He still refused to let go. Fighting to keep Carol above the surface, Kenneth finally managed to pull her away from the alligator and toward shore, where his teenage son helped bring her to safety. Carol suffered devastating injuries and needed multiple surgeries, but she survived. Kenneth also made it out alive. Kenneth’s extraordinary courage deserves to be recognized.