A gutsy couple from upstate New York was rescued after spending a terrifying 17 hours in shark-infested waters in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida.
Nichole Ballard, 17, and her boyfriend, Lewis Nameth, 21, took turns clinging to a water scooter, trying to alert passing boats and aircraft.
They were rescued uninjured late Thursday, 10 miles off New Port Richey, by a casino boat.
“I never gave up hope. I got scared, but I didn’t really let her know because she’s a little bit more fragile than I am,” Nameth said.
The lucky couple – from Warwick, 55 miles north of Manhattan – had taken the scooter into the Gulf and turned the engine off to look for a dolphin. It wouldn’t restart.