- A dad and his 13-year-old daughter tread water in a Florida lake for an hour after their jet ski sank.
- Bodycam footage from Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office shows the dramatic rescue.
A dad and his 13-year-old daughter were stranded in a Florida lake this past Saturday, treading water for nearly an hour after their jet ski sank.
Body camera footage captured the dramatic moment Christopher Snow, 31, and his daughter Alexis were rescued by Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office deputy Kevin Reich and a group of local boaters on Lake Thonotosassa.
In the video, the two are heard screaming for help as the boat moves in to rescue them. As Reich lowers a rope to pull them aboard, Alexis says, "Our jetski sunk underwater." The two were safely brought aboard and told Reich they didn't need medical assistance and were tired from the ordeal.
While the two had life jackets, Snow told the sheriff's office his "wasn't sized properly," according to a statement from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
"We are relieved that they were returned to shore safely and without any injuries," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in the statement. "It is scary to imagine what could have happened had this father and daughter not been wearing their life jackets."
According to the statement from the sheriff's office, the Snows went out on their jetski from Baker Creek Park in Thonotosassa at around 6:50 p.m. When they hadn't returned home or answered phone calls by 8 p.m., Snow's girlfriend Carolyn Joyce arrived at a nearby dock to look for them.
"That's where she found HCSO Deputy Kevin Reich conducting routine surveillance and sought help," the statement read.
Local boater SamanthaJo Conover told Insider that she and her husband Jason Font offered to take Reich on to Lake Thonotosassa to look for the Snows.
"A police officer pulled up, and he was like, 'Hey, have you seen a red jet ski?' and I remember seeing it earlier, like just a little bit before sundown, but I hadn't seen it since," Conover told Insider.
Conover said they went slow around the lake's perimeter, but considering it's the largest natural lake in Hillsborough County, the search took some time.
About 40 minutes into the rescue, Conover recalled it being very dark out on the water as they reached the Snows.
"We got about to the other side of the lake, and we kind of heard some screaming," she said, adding that they "cut off the boat" to hear better before seeing the front of the jet ski poking out of the water and the Snows treading nearby.
Snow and his daughter were brought aboard safely after treading water for about an hour.
The Snows didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Conover told Insider that after the incident, she was more than happy to help, but insisted she and her husband weren't heroes.
"We were at the right place at the right time," she said.