Man celebrates 93rd birthday by swimming in ocean for the first time

Sandra celebrating her dad's 93rd birthday (on left) and Sandra as a child with her dad at a beach during her childhood (on the right)

Pictures of a senior citizen man celebrating his birthday by swimming in the ocean for the first time has gone viral on the internet and netizens cannot stop talking about it. The man, a resident of Florida, identified as Howard Fisher has been living in Sunshine State for over two decades, but he never ventured into the ocean for a swim.

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On October 1, 2019, the 93-year-old finally took the big step and headed straight to Anna Maria Island with his daughter, Sandra Fisher Van Nostrand. In the viral post, Howard tells his daughter Sandra, "Sandra, isn't it ironic? I have lived here 20 years and never once went in the ocean....now I think I might like to but I can't."

After Howard told his daughter about the one regret he had, Sandra promised him that she would make sure that his wish of swimming in the ocean comes true. While speaking to CBS News, Sandra said that her father grew up in New York and moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1969. Although he took his family to the beach, he never actually swam in the ocean himself. Sandra also said that she has a photo of them together at the ocean when she was a little girl, but in the picture, her father is standing only in ankle-deep water.

Sandra and her father Howard at the beach when she was a little girl

Sandra further said that by the time her father decided to finally swim in the ocean, he needed her help as he is 93. Finally, Sandra who lives in Alabama visited her father on his 93rd birthday and took him to Anna Maria Island on the Gulf of Mexico for his birthday surprise. The father-daughter duo loaned a wheelchair from the Anna Maria Island Beach Cafe for their visit.

Watch the viral photos of Howard swimming in the ocean:

Sandra took to Facebook and shared pictures from the memorable outing to the beach. In the pictures, Howard can be seen swimming in the ocean with a 'million-dollar' smile on his face. While ending her post, Sandra said, "What an amazing day we had!... thank you AMI for the loaner beach wheelchair!

The photos, which were shared nearly a week ago has garnered over one thousand likes and nearly 70 shares with netizens taking to the comments section of the post to share their views. After the swim, Sandra shared another post where her dad can be seen walking on his way to Rod and Reel.

After seeing the heartwarming pictures, one user wrote, "This is the best thing I've seen on social media in a while," while another user said, "So amazing! What a great memory."

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