Ariana tells PEOPLE her friend’s mom, Betania, “didn’t let anything get in the way of losing her phone” after it fell into the water during a birthday boat outing
Credit: Ariana B
NEED TO KNOW
- A woman dove into chilly Florida water to retrieve her dropped phone during a birthday boat outing
- Ariana’s TikTok captured the dramatic moment, complete with barnacles and a frozen iguana nearby
- Betania later shocked viewers by successfully reconnecting the rescued phone via Bluetooth
It started as a birthday boat ride in Florida and ended with a woman plunging into cold water for her phone — a split-second decision that would soon captivate millions on TikTok.
In the now-viral clip, shared by Ariana, 25, viewers watched Betania leap into the water beside a dock, determined to retrieve the glowing device that had slipped from her hands.
@ariibuk
frozen iguana btw @apple #florida #frozen #iguana #lostphone #apple
♬ Fire the Cannons (1812 Overture) – Jochen Flach & Peter Ilych Tchaikvsky & Thomas Hewitt Jones
“My mind was already made up,” Betania says of the instant her phone fell overboard. “The second my phone fell in that water, I knew what I had to do.”
The group had just finished drinks and appetizers at The Cove in Deerfield Beach while celebrating Laura’s 26th birthday, with Betania snapping photos as everyone climbed back onto the boat. Suddenly, she screamed that her phone had dropped into the water, and Ariana began recording as the device sank into what she describes as “such a bad place” against the dock, surrounded by barnacles and even a frozen iguana.
Despite knowing how cold the water would be, Betania didn’t hesitate once she could still see her phone lit up below the surface. She slipped on the goggles handed to her and dove in as her daughter and friends cheered from above, a moment she now laughs about.
“Clearly, there was a bit of fear just knowing how cold that water was going to be,” she says. “Coming out of the water and seeing all the girls filming was actually hilarious.”
What she didn’t notice at the time was the unexpected wildlife cameo that viewers would later fixate on. Betania says she was so focused on the mission that the frozen iguana nearby came as a complete surprise once she watched the footage back.
“It’s definitely been a thrilling memory,” Betania says of the viral moment and its aftermath. She adds that she was stunned by how widely the video traveled and amused by how strongly people related to her impulse to jump in after the device.
@ariibuk
Replying to @Cece🥰 the phone is alive and well. @apple isn’t lying about the newer phones being waterproof
♬ original sound – ariana
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“Betania is Laura’s mom but it is so well deserved to go viral because she is bada– and didn’t let anything get in the way of losing her phone,” Ariana adds, noting with pride that Betania emerged without even cutting her forehead on a barnacle.
The story didn’t end when Betania climbed back onto the boat, soaked but triumphant. Ariana later shared a follow-up TikTok showing Betania’s recovered phone successfully connecting to Bluetooth on the ride home, captioned: “YES she got the phone. YES it connected to bluetooth on the boat ride home. All is well.”
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