A Winter Texan couple made a surprising discovery on South Padre Island: they found a message in a bottle. 

"I still get goosebumps today just holding it because I've never found a message in a bottle, not like this," Pam Smith said.

Pam and Jim Smith still remember the day a bottle washed into their lives. They were picking sea beans near the Port Mansfield jetties in 2024.

"So many sea beans that day, but so many bottles," Pam said.

But none quite like the one Pam found.

"I just couldn't believe it. I didn't know it came all the way from Naples until later that night, when we opened it up all together, and that's when we were all like wow! How did that even get to South Padre Island?" Pam said.

That bottle was thrown in the water by Edmund Dean, who lives in Florida.

Dean says he threw it into the Gulf of Mexico on a whim, with $20 inside and a note promising a reward to whoever found it.

"We thought maybe a couple of days, a week, we never thought it would be six months later," Dean said. "They were just the nicest people. We just knew instantly that we have found some new friends."

Dean says the bottle traveled between 1,000 and 2,000 miles.

"Actually, there were four major hurricanes coming through here and also a tropical storm so, I wish this bottle could tell us the stories of going through," Dean said.

Now, a year and a half later, the Smiths and Dean have met in person. The bottle has returned to its original owner with the $20 still inside.

"Who knew how much this has changed all of our lives, and to have several friends now too across the Gulf?" Pam said.

From a chance discovery on the shore, to a friendship that crosses the Gulf, all thanks to a simple message and an unexpected journey at sea.

Watch the video above for the full story.