Florida paraglider survives 500-foot plunge into ocean
Lifeguard Sarah Williamson calls the survival 'an incredible thing' after Friday rescue off Singer Island
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A 52-year-old Florida man walked away unharmed after his powered paraglider dropped 500 feet out of the sky and splashed into the ocean on Friday, authorities said.
The dramatic fall happened just before noon off the coast of Singer Island near Riviera Beach, the Riviera Beach Police Department said. Bystanders captured the incident on cell phone video.
Sarah Williamson, a lifeguard with Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue, told WFLX-TV that she first noticed the paraglider was in trouble upon seeing that he was "going in an interesting pattern" after hitting an apparent wind gust.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I just started running, and I radioed my other partner," she said. "We grabbed our rescue tube and our rescue board and paddled out in tandem."
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Beachgoers witnessed the paraglider fall 500 feet into the ocean off the coast of Singer Island near Riviera Beach on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (Riviera Beach Police Department)
The lifeguards and nearby beachgoers immediately swam out to help the man, police said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nearby beachgoers swam out to help the uninjured paraglider, and brought him and his craft to shore, police said. (Riviera Beach Police Department)
Williamson said a snorkeler dove underwater and helped free the man from a tangle of paraglider lines.
"(The snorkeler) was a godsend because we did not have a mask, and he was able to get underwater and free the man while we secured him," she told the outlet.
The paraglider, from Pompano Beach, had lifted off from Ocean Cay Park in Jupiter and sailed south until the 500-foot fall into the water, police said. (Riviera Beach Police Department)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Police said the rescuers brought the 52-year-old paraglider and his craft to shore. He was not injured.
The paraglider, from Pompano Beach, had lifted off from Ocean Cay Park in Jupiter and sailed south until the 500-foot fall into the water.
The man’s identity has yet to be released to the public.
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Williamson said she was "quite blown away" to learn how far the paraglider fell before making the unplanned splashdown.
"Five hundred feet is an incredible thing to survive," she said.