Nate Berkus Enjoys Day in the Ocean with His Kids 17 Years After Surviving Tsunami

It’s a very bittersweet day for Nate Berkus.

On Thursday (August 19), the 49-year-old interior enjoyed a day at the beach with his husband Jeremiah Brant and their kids, daughter Poppy, 6, and son Oskar, 3.

While it seemed like just a sweet family beach day, it also marked the 17th anniversary of Nate surviving a tsunami back in 2004.

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“One of the most profound and unrecognized parts of Nate’s spirit is his strength. I watched my husband, who survived such tragedy and such loss in 2004, walk our children into the ocean earlier this week. He has broken the chain of fear and wades in the water, full of laughter and full of joy. There is no one like him,” Jeremiah, 36, wrote on Instagram along with a sweet photo of Nate and Poppy in the ocean.

If you didn’t know, Nate and longtime love, photographer Fernando Bengoechea, were vacationing in Sri Lanka in 2004 when a tsunami hit. The couple were swept out of their beachfront hut and separated by the rushing water.

While Nate was able to get to safety, Fernando was never found and was assumed dead.

“Today would have been Nate’s late partner and brilliant artist, Fernando Oskar Bengoechea’s birthday,” Jeremiah continued. “Our family will always keep his art and story alive, even as we move forward. Always.”

When Nate and Jeremiah‘s son Oskar was born, they gave him Fernando‘s middle name.