Surf Cat

It was Jon Simone’s second miracle, his family said. 

On Aug. 3, Simone, 24, took advantage of the waves in St. Augustine Beach after a long and tiring day. But some time after he entered the water to surf, he became unconscious.

Fortunately for him, two men trained in CPR were standing nearby. 

Because of the efforts of Al Angyalfy, 34, and Pat Conner, 32, Simone survived. He returned to the beach on Wednesday to talk with The Record about what happened and to meet with the men who rescued him. 

Simone arrived with his mom, Stephanie Smith, his girlfriend, Charlotte Clem, and the couple’s “first miracle,” their daughter. Scarlett, who is more than a year old now, was born premature. She spent some of the interview in her father’s arms and and a little time standing up while holding his hands. 

The experience of his daughter’s birth and his near drowning changed Simone’s outlook, he said. 

“I was already pretty open-eyes … after everything with her. But, I mean yeah, it changes. There’s still a lot of good people out there. And I just try to live positive, more positive as possible every day, you know. It could always be your last, so might as well live it up,” Simone said. 

One last look at the ocean 

Angyalfy, of Davis Shores, and Conner are no strangers to the ocean. Conner, who was born and raised in St. Augustine Beach, said he’s been surfing just about his entire life. 

So it wasn’t a surprise that they were on St. Augustine Beach that day. But they ended up being in the right place among hundreds of people on the beach near 10th Street to rescue a man they didn’t know. 

Angyalfy said he and his friends had just finished a surfing session that lasted a few hours and were tired, and he was about to leave when he noticed someone.

“I was just taking one last look at the waves and just thinking about how fun it was,” he said. “And then all of the sudden I see Jon face down, and he was probably just about 50 yards out face down.”

Angyalfy’s first thought was that Simone was holding his breath and floating as he looked down. It’s something relaxing that Angyalfy does from time to time. He and a friend, Timmy, began to watch. 

“When that wave hit him, he sank like a rock, like, immediately,” Angyalfy said.  

Both men ran out into the water and got Simone’s head above water. He was unconscious and foam was coming out of his mouth. 

“I was terrified. I remember just being so scared,” Angyalfy said. 

As they dragged him to shore, he kept slipping because he was covered in sunscreen. The two men screamed for someone to call 911. 

By the time they were in knee-deep water, Conner had caught up with them and helped them bring Simone to shore, and Angyalfy began CPR. 

Then they heard a gurgling sound. Simone was trying to breathe. 

Conner’s training in CPR kicked in, he said, and he told Angyalfy they should turn Simone on his side. 

“Next thing you know, a bunch of foam and water just came out of his mouth. And as soon as that happened — I mean, it was within like five seconds of that happening … he tried to take a huge breath, and it was like, I remember slapping him on his back and going, ‘Breathe, buddy. Breathe. You’re going to make it.’ And I remember all of us — just this, like, sigh of relief, like the weight of the world was off our shoulders,” Angyalfy said. 

Conner said he views himself as the calming voice that supported Angyalfy and offered guidance. He’s helped multiple people get out of the water who were close to drowning, but nothing like what he experienced in August, he said. 

“I’ve never even seen it, and like I said I grew up walking distance from here,” Conner said. 

For Simone, the memories are sparse. He recalls catching a few waves and waking up at a Jacksonville hospital with a tube in his mouth, and he remembers people who came to see him. 

“My dad’s like, ‘You almost died,'” Simone said. 

For the first week or so, he felt foggy and didn’t have clear thoughts, he said. 

The hospital performed a brain scan, which looked good and indicated he wouldn’t have any major issues, Smith, his mom, said.

She described the entire incident as “horrifying.” 

“The most scary thing I’ve ever been through in my life, but we pretty much had hope the whole time he was gonna make it,” she said.

What made the process better was being able to see her son, which some hospitals wouldn’t allow, she said.

“So we’re just super blessed. The second big miracle of his life, and you know, we just thank you guys so much,” she said to Conner and Angyalfy. 

After the rescue, Angyalfy and Conner kept tabs on Simone to see how he was doing. When they got word that he was doing well, they high-fived. 

“Just the best feeling,” Angyalfy said. 

“And after … learning he’s a, you know, dad. Like that’s huge,” Conner said. 

The rescue brought back memories for Angyalfy.

About 12 years ago, his twin brother, Brent, died in a diving accident. Angyalfy performed CPR on him, but it was too late, he said. 

“I remember when I looked at Jon he looked exactly like my brother .. .and that’s honestly what scared me the most, I think. … I saw that same face, and I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ … that was probably the thing that got me the most fired up as far as taking control of the situation and making sure that we just didn’t quit on him,” Angyalfy said.

Simone is recovering. His lungs still aren’t entirely back to normal. But overall he’s doing well. 

“Just thankful to be here, man,” he said. 

He has been able to ride a bicycle, and he plans to keep surfing. He’s already been out a couple of times since the incident. 

He’s also made some new friends in Conner and Angyalfy. 

“Yeah, we talked on the phone for like 30 minutes when I was on my drive home (recently),” Angyalfy said. “And I was like, man, this is awesome. Like, I don’t know him at all, and I’m sitting here talking. We’re just chatting about everything. It was like I’ve known him my whole life.”