PADRE ISLAND, Tx — A group of dedicated volunteers spends their free time helping beachgoers whose vehicles get stuck in the sand on Corpus Christi and Padre Island beaches – and they're doing it completely free of charge. Anthony Goralczyk is one of the neighbors who has been rescuing stranded drivers on Padre Island beaches for about 20 years. Every day after work, he heads to the beach to relax and inevitably finds people who need help.
"Everyday after work, I drive out to the beach to relax and I tend to find a lot of people out here getting stuck," Goralczyk said.
Goralczyk and other truck enthusiasts from groups like Corpus Christi Off Road Beach Rescue and 361 Off Road Rescuehave made it their mission to help stranded beachgoers without charging a penny.
"There's so many people out here with trucks driving around trying to have fun and then there's this opportunity for them to help somebody else out. It's just a hobby, It's just what the off-road community does," Goralczyk said.
The service these volunteers provide is especially valuable, considering some people report being charged up to $1,000 to get pulled out of the sand by other businesses.
"We don't expect anything at all. We just want to help people out any chance we can," Goralczyk said.
The volunteers use specialized equipment like kinetic ropes and soft shackles to safely pull vehicles from the sand.
"What we're gonna do is we're gonna hook the kinetic rope up to the jeep. We like to use these soft shackles. They're a lot safer than using metal shackles," Goralczyk said.
For Goralczyk and his fellow rescuers, the reward is in helping others, especially in potentially dangerous situations.
"It's definitely a rewarding feeling to save people out here and especially when they're in the dark and the water is coming up to their car," Goralczyk said.
The volunteer rescuers describe themselves as a tight-knit community. "We're a big community, like a family, we're out to help each other out and serve the community any way we can," Goralczyk said.
Goralczyk and the rest of the crew from Corpus Christi Off Road Beach Rescue will be out on the beach on Padre Island during Memorial Day Weekend to help anyone who may get stuck in the sand. If you are stuck and need help, reach out to Corpus Christi Off Road Beach Rescue or 361 Off Road Rescuevia Facebook.
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