Brazilian kitesurfer Bruno Lobo happened upon a young girl who was about to drown and brought her to shore, thanking God for “using him” to save her.

On January 10, 2025, medical doctor and kitesurfer Bruno Lobo, who represented Brazil at the Paris Olympics in 2024, was surfing in the sea in São Luís, Maranhão, to test a new camera. Suddenly, he heard a teenage girl screaming for help. The weather conditions were cloudy and windy, and the young girl had been carried by the current into deep water, finding it difficult to stay afloat.

In this incredible moment, captured by his new camera, Bruno swam out to her, put her arms over his shoulders, and used his board and sail to take them to the shore. There, lifeguards assisted her, and the girl, 15-year-old Maria Eduarda, is fine.

Bruno then shared the video on his Instagram profile to warn people about the importance of being careful at sea. The video went viral on social media and attracted a lot of media attention, which Bruno has used to highlight God’s role in this story.

The video has an audio narration in Portuguese, but the images speak for themselves.

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A post shared by Bruno Lobo (@brunolobo31)

“God wanted to use me that day”

“I try every day to have a moment with God, to ask Him to guide me on His path, on the path that He really wants for my life, because, in our brief time here on Earth, […] I think our greatest purpose is certainly to help others, to do good,” Bruno explained in a video (with English and Portuguese subtitles) posted on Instagram. “God wanted to use me that day.”

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A post shared by Bruno Lobo (@brunolobo31)

In an interview with Brazilian news outlet Globo, he said that the weather conditions weren’t good for sailing that day, but he decided to go out to sea to test the new camera. He was about to return to the beach when he saw Maria Eduarda, tired and almost at the end of her strength. Understandably, he sees God’s work in this event.

“I really was in the right place at the right time. I’m very grateful to God for having used me to carry out this rescue,” he said in another video on social media. “All honor and glory to Him,” Bruno added in the description of the post on his profile.

The athlete had the opportunity to meet the young woman on January 13, 2025 and also received a medal from the Maranhão Military Fire Department for his act.

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Katie Kresser, PhD

Katie Kresser, PhD

We can thank Baby Jesus for the whole concept of “childhood”