The ocean is no place for hooves. But on the coast of Belmar, New Jersey, that’s exactly where a young buck found itself—battling rough surf, clambering onto rocks, and fighting for a chance to make it back to land.

For those who gathered on the beach that evening, it was a scene that felt both surreal and urgent. Among them was Adrienne Tully, an amateur photographer who had returned to her camera after some time away. She had come only to capture the colors of the sunset. Instead, she found herself documenting a rescue no one expected to witness.

At first, Adrienne thought she had spotted a bird perched on the jetty. She didn’t give it much thought until she noticed a crowd forming at 15th Avenue, all eyes fixed on the same spot. Curious, she lifted her lens again—and that’s when she saw it. Not a bird, but a deer.

“He was swimming through the ocean and then he decided a couple of times to climb on the jetty and then he went back in the water, and we were a little worried,” Adrienne recalled.

The animal looked exhausted, disoriented, swept between waves that pulled and pushed with equal force. People along the shore began to murmur, wondering how long it could last. Then, suddenly, a surfer appeared.

No one caught his name. No one knew where he came from. But the man paddled near the buck, carefully guiding it away from the confusion of the swirling currents. Patiently, almost as if he understood the panic in the animal’s eyes, the surfer coaxed it toward the safety of the shore.

For a few tense moments, the deer resisted—leaping back into the water, scrambling on the rocks. But with persistence, the surfer managed to steer the creature closer and closer until finally, with one last burst of energy, it bounded onto the beach.

The crowd erupted in cheers. Cameras clicked. Adrienne snapped her photos as the deer shook off seawater and bolted north, putting as much distance as possible between itself and the human commotion.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Adrienne said afterward, her voice filled with relief.

Other surfers on the scene admitted the water that day had been particularly rough. Alone, the buck may not have survived. But thanks to one anonymous surfer—whose name remains unknown—the deer got its second chance.

News 12 New Jersey is still searching for the identity of the Good Samaritan. For now, he remains a mystery hero of the waves, remembered only by those who watched him save a creature that had no way of saving itself.