Dylan Smith, a hero lifeguard from Rockaway Beach, Queens, in New York drowned while surfing in Puerto Rico.
The body of 23-year-old Smith was found floating near his surfboard off of Maria's Beach near Rincon, Puerto Rico. The surfboard was the same one he used to save several people in the Belle Harbor community during Hurricane Sandy on October 29.
That night, Smith, along with resident Michael McDonnell helped save six people who were stranded during the storm as waves washed through the neighborhood and fires engulfed homes on their block.
Along with McDonnell, Smith attached a homemade rope bridge to his surfboard and helped pull six people who were stranded on their porches to safety. The heroic act earned Smith and McDonnell the title of "Hero" as they were featured in People magazine's "2012 Heroes of the Year" issue.
Being humble, Smith would never accept the title of hero.
"I don't really see it that way. ... I was doing it to help Mike out. I did what I was asked to do," he told the New York Daily News. After the incident, he asked for people to not approach him.
"I don't want to talk about me," he told the News. "I don't think I'm a hero. Absolutely not. I just did what I was trained to. I'm a lifeguard. I surf. This is what I do."
Smith was a lifeguard on Rockaway Beach for several years. Like many Rockaway kids, one of his favorite hobbies was surfing. He died doing what he loved.
Family friend and FDNY Chief Michael Light spoke about Smith and how he worked tirelessly to help his neighbors recover after Hurricane Sandy. After nearly two months of helping out, Smith just wanted to "blow off some steam. He took a little vacation just to unwind," Light told the News.
He went to one of his favorite surfing spots in Puerto Rico to catch some of the best waves. Being a lifeguard and a life-long surfer, many are shocked that Smith reportedly drowned. Sources say that he suffered from a seizure while surfing, which led to the incident.
"The same sport - the sport of surfing - that he used to save all those people, it's so shocking that he perished that way," Light told the News.
A Rincon resident pulled Smith out of the water when he saw his body. A doctor tried to revive him, but Smith showed no signs of life.
Ryan Moroney, 22, Smith's cousin, spoke well about the hero lifeguard.
"He was Aquaman," Moroney told the News. "If you were in need, Dylan would be there to help, hands down, no questions asked. ... His passions were to just go out and enjoy life - and anything anybody needed, he was always there."
"He was a wonderful young man with a bright future and so much to offer,"
Light told the News. "He had a lot of friends, a lot of people who loved him, and it's a shame that he was taken away from us far too soon."
Friends of Smith took to social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to share memories of the young man who was known as a good friend and a true hero. They spoke of the times he made them laugh and the times he was there for them.
Smith's passing is a huge loss to the Rockaway community which has suffered so much in the past few years. Dozens of residents from the small beach town were killed on September 1, 2001. Two months later, Flight 587 crashed down in Belle Harbor, near Smith's home. Five people on the ground were killed in the incident including all on board.
On October 29, Rockaway was hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy as the ocean, beloved by many, flooded the homes of thousands of residents. Thanks to Smith's actions, some were able to survive that incident.
Katie Cregg was one of the neighbors that Smith helped rescue during Hurricane Sandy. She told People about the incident.
"Michael just took charge. He looked me straight in the eye, and I knew then and there we were going to be okay. And then the kid with the surfboard arrived like an angel, and everyone's spirits lifted," Cregg said.
The "kid with the surfboard" was Smith. He was an angel on Earth and now, after being taken too soon, he will forever be an angel in Heaven.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
