Dylan Efron—“Traitors” star and younger brother of actor Zac Efron—recalls a heart-pounding incident in which he saved two girls from drowning while visiting Miami’s South Beach for the first time.
“I just saw five girls, like, their hands were up, screaming. There’s people on the shore with their hands up,” he continued.
When asked if the thought of a shark initially crossed his mind, Efron said based on the “ripping currents” and significant waves he did not think it was a possibility.
“So I just looked around, and there’s no lifeguards around. ... Me and my buddy Brandon just looked at each other and we just sprinted out there,” he said.
“There were two closest to us that already had a guy helping them in, and then there were three out further.”
The social media influencer and producer was able to swim one girl in to shore, then rush back into the ocean for another.
He noted emotions were high, as he tried to calm down the last girl he saved. However, in the moment she did express her gratitude for his heroic efforts.
“The last girl I swam in, I was just trying to calm her down. Just saying, ‘Breathe. Breathe,’” he recalled.
“And she’s just wrapped me in the biggest hug, like, doesn’t wanna let go. So we hugged for like a full minute, just hugging this girl on the shore. I’m like, ‘You’re safe. You’re good.'”
Efron, a competitive swimmer in college, showed zero hesitation during the incident but doesn’t view himself as a hero.
“I feel like I did what most people would have done in that situation,” he said.
“I’m in the water a lot, so I just felt comfortable. ... From where we jumped in, we ended up like a football field length away. The current was strong, the girls probably just got a little too far and got scared.”
