Scott Clyne’s marriage proposal checklist went something like this:
Romantic sunset on the water in Florida’s Sarasota Bay — check
Hire pals to fly a “Will you marry me?” banner at zero hour — check
Strike a “Titanic” movie pose before popping the question — check
What was not on the list, as noted by Today, was making sure that the ring in his pocket did not fall into the water.
And so, on Nov. 12, to the delight of social media watchers who have enjoyed watching his plight, Clyne dove overboard when the one critical element in his proposal to Suzie Tucker landed in the water.
As millions who have seen the TikTok video know, Clyne dove in after, with the friends he had along to record the moment filming something very different than had been in the plan.
But as Clyne told Today, proposing has been a chore with its own complications. The initial plan called for the proposal in September, but Hurricane Ian crashed the party, postponing the event.
Clyne said he still wanted to go through with his plan to propose to Tucker on a boat.
“It’s how we first met. We met on a sandbar through mutual friends in Inglewood, and it’s our passion to boat. So I figured that the perfect proposal would be to do it at sunset with our two best friends and get them involved. It was a beautiful night for it until everything went wrong with the proposal,” he said.
The ring box was in Clyne’s pocket, at least until it slipped out of his hand when he went to open it.
“I had the ring in my back pocket, and when I went to reach for it, the corner of the ring box got caught on the top of my pocket and slipped out of my hands,” Clyne said, according to the New York Post.
A Florida man, Scott Clyne, dived into the ocean after an engagement ring that fell in as he made to propose to his girlfriend.
You see why you should learn how to swim? ? pic.twitter.com/eO5EJQIYEw
— Swimpronigeria (@swimpronigeria) November 30, 2022
“Everything was an absolute blur from that point on! All I remember thinking was ‘this can’t be happening!’ and next thing I knew I was in the water.”
“I didn’t hesitate to jump in because I envisioned it sinking quickly, and I wasn’t taking a chance. I saw it bounce off the deck and hit the water, and thankfully it floated for a split second, giving me the chance to grab it as I dove in,” he said.
Then it was back to a slightly soggier version of the plan.
“She said she was focused on the banner,” Clyne said, according to Today.
“By the time the ring fell out, she thought I had actually fallen over. She was laughing hysterically, but she didn’t even see the ring drop or anything,” he said.
As noted by WLBT, Tucker said yes to the proposal.
Next in the plan was dinner, but what was not in the plan was the side trip into the sea.
“I obviously didn’t plan to be swimming, and I didn’t bring an extra pair of clothes, so I attended dinner soaking wet,” he said, Today reported.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
