A calm and relaxing day can quickly turn into tragedy. For two UK residents, their vacation to Barbados seemed perfect. But as the two floated in the water, that perfect day became deadly when the couple got caught in a riptide. Belinda and Robert Stone are no strangers to Barbados, having vacationed there multiple times before.

The pair were enjoying a leisurely swim when they accidentally floated into an area notorious for its strong riptide. As the current began to drag at them, panic quickly set in. She soon realized that her husband was trailing behind — and was suddenly too far away to even hear her.

She attempted to swim to the shore to get help but struggled to push past the current. “I just couldn’t get anywhere,” said Belinda, 64, who began to scream out for a lifeguard. She said her mind wandered to the worst outcome.

Thank heavens I left our wills on the dining room table,” she recalled thinking,

But quickly fate intervened in the form of two teenage girls, Emma Basserman and Zoe Ireland-Meklensek, who were boogie-boarding nearby. Emma was in Barbados to train for the Canadian Summer Olympic swimming trials in May. The Canadian teenagers were both avid swimmers. The two quickly jumped in the water, reaching Belinda first. Zoe pulled her onto the boogie board.

Emma Bassermann, 14, left, and Zoe Ireland-Meklensek, 13, saved a U.K. couple from drowning in Barbados. Photo courtesy of the Ireland family

“She said her husband was further out, and he was struggling to swim,” Zoe said. “I told her to hold on tight, and I strapped the boogie board tether to my wrist. Emma was by my side for support.” After getting Belinda safely to shore, the girls jumped back in and swam to get Robert.

After a few minutes, Zoe and Emma reached Robert, 68. “He was shocked, and he was really out of breath. I could tell that he was really stressed,” Zoe said. She attached the tether from her board to her ankle and had Robert hold onto the board. “I reassured him that his wife was okay and he was going to be okay,” Zoe said. As they swam back to shore with Robert, “the current kept pulling me back, but I kept going and going,” Zoe said

Both of us together made a really good team,” Emma said.

Relief washed over Belinda as the girls and Robert reached the shore. “What really sticks in my mind is the calmness of those children,” said Belinda. “I do not think that there are many girls like Zoe and Emma. I just cannot get over how serene and poised they both were.”

“I was so grateful that they were both okay,” said Emma. The Stones said they’ve learned their lesson about riptides — and are forever indebted to the young girls. “They really were like a couple of angels on that beach,” Belinda said. Watch these amazing teens below!

Sources: Washington Post | People