ISLE OF PALMS -- When several Islander 71 employees heard a quick splash echo from the marina well after it had shuttered for the night, instinct kicked in for bartender and former lifeguard Johnny Himmelsbach, who went to investigate.
He found a dark-colored SUV rapidly sinking into the Isle of Palms Marina.
Himmelsbach immediately hopped a fence and dove into the water to rescue the driver and a passenger, according to general manager Christopher Sollom. Other employees of the seafood restaurant mobilized as well -- barback Cash Luther followed his coworker into Morgan Creek and bartender Shannon Standhart called 911 while running to the nearby fire station.
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The elderly couple from out of town had driven their vehicle down the boat ramp around 10 p.m. on Sept. 14 after misunderstanding GPS instructions. They thought fast as well, rolling down their front windows as their car barreled into the water. The couple had been pulled to safety, and the car had settled 13 feet under water, as first responders arrived on the scene, according to Sollom.
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"It could have gone a different way," he said. "Everything aligned for a perfect rescue."
Sollom said he spoke with the couple, who has not been publicly identified. While they were in "a lot of shock" last night, they're "happy to be alive" today, he said.
The boat ramp remained shut down until around 2 p.m. on Sept. 15, when the Isle of Palms police department coordinated with the dive team from the Charleston County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Coast Guard Charleston and Isle of Palms fire department to clear the scene.
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Divers strapped large yellow air bags onto the car, which allowed it to float to the surface and be towed out, according to IOP police spokesperson Sgt. Matt Storen.
"There could have been a really bad ending to this," Storen said. Instead, no one was hurt and no environmental damage was recorded, he added.
For Sollom, it was inspiring to watch his staff come together and work as a team to aid the couple.
"At the end of the day, two people can go home to their families because of their selfless acts to risk their lives to safe others," Sollom said.