Hawaii heroes
From left, Coeur d'Alene residents Josh Mylan, Tyler Alvarado and Craig Brown triumphantly hold their boogie boards in the air during a trip to Maui earlier this month. The friends rescued four swimmers from strong riptides in two separate events in one day. "It’s nothing but divine intervention, for sure," Alvarado said.
Courtesy photo
Friends from Coeur d'Alene rescued four different swimmers on two separate occasions on the same day while they were vacationing in Maui earlier this month. Pictured here are the second set of survivors, far left, accompanied by emergency personnel, spectators and the North Idaho heroes on the far right.
Courtesy photo
A tropical getaway turned into a life-or-death adventure steeped in divine intervention for three Coeur d'Alene couples who spent a week in Maui earlier this month.
An emergency appendicitis surgery placed the friends right where they needed to be Feb. 6 to participate in two separate drowning rescues at Kaanapali Shores.
"It was kind of a crazy vacation," Coeur d'Alene's Tyler Alvarado said Monday.
Continuous Composites CEO Alvarado and wife Cierra went on a kidless trip with Pretty Boys Painting owner Josh Mylan and wife Meagan Mylan and Heart of the City Church pastor Craig Brown and wife Jessica Brown.
They left for sunny Hawaii on Feb. 1, but on Feb. 3 Cierra experienced abdominal pain and was admitted for an emergency appendectomy the next day. The couples changed their plans from hiking that Saturday to playing on the beach as Cierra was just out of surgery.
Around 12:30 p.m., Tyler and Josh, with flippers and boogie boards, kicked into waters known for rip currents that sweep swimmers away from the shore.
About 100 yards out, they heard a woman crying for help.
"She was really struggling to stay above water," Tyler said. "She was exhausted."
Another swimmer who went out with the woman was also trapped in the current.
"He was so frantic he couldn't even get on the boogie board," Tyler said. "I swam this guy out of the riptide and to the shore."
"There was obviously a reason for why we were there," Josh said.
Around sunset, the friends were at the resort pool near the beach when they heard another call for help. Two more swimmers were trapped in the current, in just about the same place. A lady ran up to the men, screaming, "People are drowning! They need help!"
"Without even missing a beat, Tyler rips his tank off and jumps over the barricade and dives right in — totally 'Baywatch' style!" Meagan recounted in a social media post.
Tyler reached the first swimmer, who directed Tyler to help his wife, who was struggling some yards away.
"She just grabbed onto me and buried both of us in the water," Tyler said. "I turned around and Josh and Craig weren’t there. My objective at this point was to keep her above water. I held her with my right arm as we swam out of the riptide with my left arm."
Craig and Josh, returning from a 150-yard sprint to retrieve boogie boards from the car, jumped in to assist Tyler and rescue both swimmers, who were flailing, frantic and exhausted. Police and paramedics arrived on scene when the rescue was 25 yards out.
"Two came out and checked on us and made sure we were OK," Tyler said. "They helped us cross the finish line with the two people."
Everyone watching from resort balconies cheered for the North Idaho heroes.
"There was probably 100 to 150 people watching this whole rescue and it erupted into a standing ovation," Tyler said. "The police were super appreciative of us. People were just so happy, overjoyed, some people were crying from joy.
"The crazy thing is, that’s the beach where 11 ½ years ago, that’s where I proposed to my wife," Tyler added.
If not for Cierra's surgery, this trio of heroes wouldn't have been on the beach to save four people's lives.
After the second rescue, Craig, who is a pastor at Heart of the City Church, shared John 15:13 with the survivors: "There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."
Each morning on the trip, the friends participated in a daily devotional. Tyler said he was amazed when, the day after the rescue, his morning devotional that he received was none other than John 15:13.
"It’s nothing but divine intervention, for sure," Tyler said. "I want to give credit for God. It was totally him using us, and I want to think other people would do the same as us in the same situation."
"It was just ironic and kind of a blessing Cierra had the surgery she had. We were supposed to have plans to be somewhere completely different," Josh said. "We kept telling Cierra, 'Good things come out of things that are bad, God always has a plan for good out of them.' It was demonstrated on that day. That was the exact plan for that."
