HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Don't call Samantha Conover, her friends, and her fiancé heroes.
"We're not heroes," Conover said. "We were at the right place at the right time. We would have done it for anyone with no hesitation."
However, what they did Saturday night was nothing short of heroic because their actions likely saved two lives on Lake Thonotosassa.
"We do a dinner pontoon cruise here — like dinner on the water, so we were out here that night," Conover said.
At a public boat ramp, as they brought in their boat, they overheard a worrying conversation: a Hillsborough County deputy, who had been on a routine patrol in the area, needed help finding two jet skiers — a dad and his 13-year-old daughter — who hadn't returned to shore as day became night.
Conover had seen the two earlier and feared for the worst.
"It could have been, you know, finding bodies or a gator having them," she said.
So, Conover, her friends, and fiancé quickly offered the deputy a ride on their boat to work together to search the lake.
"I didn't know what to think. I was scared, but I didn't want to show it," Conover recalled.
However, after searching the lake's perimeter, Conover and the other searchers heard a scream that caught their attention.
"Help!" the teen shouted frantically.
"We're coming, baby!" the rescuers shouted back. "We're coming!"
The jet ski had sunk in the middle of the lake. The dad and daughter were not injured but tired after treading water for almost an hour.
As the deputy with Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office — Deputy Kevin Reich — delicately maneuvered the boat toward the father and daughter, Conover's fiancé emptied his pockets and jumped in to pull them out.
The deputy's body camera captured the thrilling yet emotional moment as the two were successfully pulled aboard the pontoon boat.
"You good, bud?" the deputy asked them.
"Yeah, we're good," the relieved daughter answered.
With the dad and daughter in the boat and safe, Conover and her friend helped comfort them with beach towels. Conover's fiancé and the deputy shared a grateful handshake.
"Happy ending," her fiancé told the deputy.
"Good job, man," the deputy responded.
Watching the replay of that moment still gets Conover teary-eyed.
"It was emotional, and I feel like every time I watch the video, I get the same way," she said. "I never thought I would be in that situation, and I'm glad that I was able — we were able — to help save them."
Conover hopes the happy ending will show other boaters why it's important to wear a life jacket, have a whistle, and leave a float plan with someone you trust.
The dad and his daughter were wearing life jackets, but according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the dad's didn't fit properly.
"So this is a good reminder to make sure yours is fitted correctly," the dad said, according to a sheriff's office news release.
