Vancouver teen rescues friend who had seizure while surfing in Tofino

Teen surfer rescued in Tofino The quick-thinking actions of one teen surfer helped save the life of another in Tofino recently.

Vancouver — Asher Paglaro doesn't think of himself as a hero, but his actions during a recent surfing trip certainly fit that description.

The 15-year-old was surfing with a friend in Tofino's Cox Bay. The pair had traveled there from Vancouver with family for a vacation.

The two teenagers had been spending the day catching waves, when things suddenly turned horribly wrong.

Paglaro's friend didn't look right. He seemed dazed.

"I heard him saying, really quietly, trying to say, 'Help, help, help,' over and over and over again." Paglaro recalls.

The teen paddled over to his friend, thinking maybe he was in shock or had suffered a concussion. As he paddled, he could feel the rip current pulling each of them farther away from shore.

"You need to get on my board," Paglaro yelled to his friend. "I know how to get us out of this."

He made eye contact, but he could tell his friend wasn't hearing him.

Paglaro ended up grabbing his companion and paddling the two of them out of the current at a 45 degree angle. As they got closer to shore, his friend collapsed.

The teen was having a seizure, and Paglaro's quick actions likely saved his life.

He was transported to Tofino General Hospital and then airlifted to Nanaimo Regional Hospital, where he's now doing well.

"He seems to be making a full recovery and they're moving forward," said Tovah Paglaro, Asher's mother. "I'm really excited to hear that he's doing well."

She says she's incredibly proud of her son's quick thinking, which she attributes to his experience playing team sports with his friend. She said the boys' history of playing together has taught them to have each other's backs and to "move quickly, responsibly and decisively, even when they're scared."

For his part, Asher Paglaro says he was just doing what he had to do to help his friend.

"I did what anyone should do," he said.

With files from CTV News Vancouver Island's Alanna Kelly