On a humid August afternoon in 1981, 21‑year‑old waitress Tamara Ennis and three companions set sail on a 16‑foot catamaran off Ormond Beach, Florida. When their boat capsized three miles offshore in stormy seas, they clung to a lone pontoon without life jackets. A passing Coast Guard search failed to see them. By dawn, swept far from shore, they decided to swim for land. Tamara, a former high school swimmer, led the way, with Christy Wapniarski following, and Randy Cohen and Daniel Perrin behind

As they swam, a shark grabbed Christy’s leg with a six‑inch bite. Within minutes she lost consciousness and was presumed dead, floating face‑down in the water. Terrified, Tamara turned away and continued swimming alone. Later, a shark brushed against her leg, but she pushed panic aside and pressed on

After hours battling riptides and exhaustion, Tamara was finally spotted by a lifeguard late that morning—nearly nine miles from the capsized boat. She alerted rescuers: “One’s dead, two are missing, and the boat’s still adrift.” Daniel was found walking ashore, and Randy was rescued and hospitalized; Christy’s body was never recovered

Tamara later said she survived by staying calm, pushing despair away, and treating each minute as its own victory: “I kept stroking, but I kept thinking about death.” Her refusal to surrender to fear saved her life