Thanks to Deception Pass Tours, Father’s Day weekend didn’t turn into a tragedy for one man and his son.

Jose Garcia, an officer at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, was taking the boat tour, enjoying the sunny weather Saturday afternoon when the crew noticed that a couple of kayakers were in trouble.

One of the men was out of his kayak, clinging to the sheer rocky walls underneath Deception Pass Bridge. The other man, who turned out to be his father, was struggling in vain to help him as a swirling eddy threatened to pull his son under.

“He was literally clinging on with his last breath,” Garcia said. “He couldn’t hold on anymore. He was about to drown.”

Boat captain and owner Brett Ginther turned the boat to help. Seeing help on its way, the younger man let go of the cliff and swam to his partially submerged kayak.

Garcia said he grabbed a boat hook and held it out to the man, who was able to grab it. He and the other crew members pulled him aboard. He said the man was bluish and his arms felt stiff and frozen.

Father and son were soon reunited and posed for a photo with their rescuers at Cornet Bay.

“It truly was a blessing to be at the right place at the right time,” he said, “and if it wasn’t for Capt. Ginther and his crew, this could resulted in a tragic ending.”