Nantucket Surfers Tried To Save Cape Cod Drowning Victim

A horrible tragedy struck Cape Cod last week when 48-year-old Martin Mackey of Brunswick, Maine drowned while surfing at Lecount Hollow Beach in Wellfleet. Nantucket residents and surfers Luke Johnson and Gary Kohner happened to be at the same Cape beach that day, and risked their lives doing everything they could to save him.

Johnson and Kohner, the owner of Nantucket Island Surf School, were in Wellfleet on April 20 for a day trip of surfing. As they walked down the dunes, which are very steep at Lecount Hollow, they began to look out into the water to decide where they were going to paddle out from. Once they got to the water’s edge, Johnson said Mackey’s son ran up to Kohner very panicked yelling ‘help, help, help! My dad is drowning.’

“Gary instantly turned to me and we were five to 10 feet apart and just said ‘Luke! Luke! Come on! Come On!’ So we were jogging for 30 seconds before we saw the man in the ocean and his body face down in the water,” Johnson said. “It went from a jog and me trying to shuffle to put on my gloves because of how cold the water is to us just throwing our gloves and Gary throwing his board to the side to rush into the water as fast as possible. Once we saw him, we knew it was way more severe than the man drowning. He had already drowned.”

Johnson said he kept his board with him as he entered the water because it is smaller than Kohner's and he believed it could help them assist the man once they reached him. Johnson said the waves were hollow and roughly five to six feet in size, which made it difficult to reach the man.

“These waves were as big as me,” Johnson said. “I got to him about five to 15 seconds before Gary because I had my surfboard and I was able to paddle on it."

Johnson said he grabbed Mackey by the shoulders, rolled him over, and then placed him onto his (Johnson’s) chest to keep him afloat before ultimately grabbing his board and sliding it under Mackey’s body.

“At that point I was sort of just screaming and waiting for Gary to get to me so we could formulate a plan to get him to the beach,” Johnson said. “I had never seen anything like that."

“I thought we were going to get in problem-free to the shore but as soon as we got to the break where it was probably knee to waist deep there were a group of big waves. Gary and I probably took five waves consecutively on the top of the head while we were holding him. Then another surfer and a police officer ran in and helped us.”

Johnson said he, Kohner, two other surfers, and a police officer carried Mackey to shore. From there, he said, they couldn’t do much else besides pray.

“It was a very heavy experience to go through,” Johnson said. “Gary and I have both had those thoughts of what if we put on our wet suits a little sooner? Or what if we looked that way before we ran down. What could have changed if we did any of these things differently?”

Johnson said they have spoken to several friends who have experienced similar situations, such as EMTs and military members, to help them cope with what happened.

“They tell us it is hard but promise us it gets better,” Johnson said. “We were both waiting for that moment on the beach for him to be resuscitated but it just never happened. The cop was able to start CPR as soon as we got him out of the water since he ran in and helped us. We were holding all these breath bags and we were there through the whole thing just hoping for that moment you see in movies where the person rolls over, starts coughing, and comes back to life. He just never came back.”

Johnson said that while EMS personnel continued to perform life-saving procedures on Mackey, they asked him to go to the ambulance and grab a bag. He said the landscape of the beach made it a difficult spot for an event like this to happen.

“I was running as fast as I could. I’m 22 years old and fresh off of traveling so I’d like to think I am in pretty good shape but it was a two to two and a half minute run all the way up those dunes,” Johnson said. “They were huge. It was just far. I keep telling myself I did everything I could. Gary did whatever he could. But in a situation like this, you always have those thoughts of what could I have done differently or what could I have done better.”

Johnson said once they got to the parking lot, Mackey was brought to an ambulance. As they stood there, Johnson attempted to speak to Mackey’s son.

“When we were in the water I just took off my leash and my board was floating away because I didn’t care about my board at the moment,” Johnson said. “But after that the man’s son actually ended up being the one who grabbed my board and carried it up for me. He was in such shock. I tried talking to him but he wasn’t really acknowledging me, which is completely okay.”

Johnson said he and Kohner sat in the parking lot for a short while until the ambulance left. They tried to surf afterwards, but after about 20 minutes they called it quits.

“Within 20 minutes of being in the water we were just looking at each other saying let’s get out of here. We just couldn’t focus and we were just so shocked,” Johnson said. “We ended up getting some food and going home.”

Johnson said they have been able to get back in the water since then. He said the experience helped them realize they are capable of helping people when they need it and staying composed in dangerous situations. While the drowning was the most extreme event he has witnessed, it was a learning experience too.

“With Gary owning a surf school I think it is just good to know that we can help people and react to a dangerous situation,” Johnson said. “That is what I want people to know about Gary and this surf school above everything else. We will do whatever it takes to help people. We are always watching. We know what is going on. In the summer we are in the water for over six hours per day. We know the water and grew up here. We know this place like the back of our hands and are always going to do whatever we can or need to do to look out for each other.”