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UAE: Car 'fully submerged' under water pulled out in 3.5-hour rescue mission
The team of four, who worked tirelessly to pull the 4WD back to land said the effort was worth 'every second'
- PUBLISHED: Thu 1 May 2025, 2:29 PM
On Sunday morning an Indian family that decided to camp by the shore in Ghantoot woke up to a surprise. Their car was half-submerged in water — the tide had risen while they were asleep and they had parked too close to the bank.
Unsure of how they could rescue their vehicle, they reached out for help through Instagram, attempting to get in touch with Ahmad Hiskol, a Dubai-based off-road rescuer living in Remraam.
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“At first, I couldn’t believe it,” Ahmad said. “I thought, who would prank someone so early in the morning? But then I realised it was serious.”
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Ahmad, his wife Nora along with two fellow rescuers, Ayham and Abdul Rahman, immediately got to work. They loaded up their gear, winches, cables, extensions, and left Remraam around 8am in their powerful RAM trucks.
By the time they reached Ghantoot at 8.45am, the Nissan Patrol was already floating nearly 40 metres away from the shore, slowly drifting further out as the sea level rose.
“The car was fully submerged,” said Ahmad. “It was shocking to see. The tide had pulled it in so fast.”
The car was sitting at a depth of nearly five metres underwater. “It was one of the most challenging rescues we have done,” said Ahmad. “Pulling a car from that far, in water, with strong pressure and weight, it’s not easy. Everything has to go just right.”
From 9am to 12.30pm, the team worked non-stop. Their two RAM trucks roared as the winches were put to full use. “At one point, a winch cable even snapped,” said Ahmad.
Watch the video, below:
“But we didn’t stop. We had to first turn the car as it was on its side underwater, and then attach both winches to pull it in.”
To their surprise and relief, the seabed was rocky, not sandy, something that helped during the rescue. “Had it been sand, it could have sunk deeper or caused more damage,” said Ahmad.
Despite the odds, the rescue was a success. The car was safely pulled out without any damage.
Ahmad, who hails from Lebanon, runs rescue missions with his wife Nora. Together, they help people stuck off-road across the UAE. But even for a seasoned rescuer like him, this case stood out. “It took effort, teamwork, and a lot of focus. But at the end, seeing the family safe and the car out was worth every second."
SM Ayaz Zakir is a Senior Correspondent with a flair for extraordinary stories. His playground? Every corner of the UAE. He often ventures into remote corners of the country to capture compelling news and human interest stories.