On Sunday, August 24, 2025, at 10:30 PM +07, a captivating tale from Tulsi Gabbard’s personal life has resurfaced, shedding new light on her 2015 engagement to Abraham Williams—a moment that nearly ended in disaster. The former U.S. Representative and current Director of National Intelligence, now 44, has often recounted how Williams proposed to her atop a surfboard off Oahu’s coast, but the full story of the ring almost slipping into the Pacific Ocean has shocked even her closest confidants. This dramatic episode, blending adventure and romance, underscores the couple’s enduring bond and the unpredictable nature of their love story.
The proposal took place in 2015, a year after Williams, a New Zealand cinematographer, asked Gabbard out at a mutual friend’s birthday party. Both avid surfers who met in 2012 during her congressional campaign, they chose the ocean as their stage. Williams had meticulously planned the moment, securing the engagement ring in a waterproof pouch strapped to his board. As they rode waves side by side, he turned to Gabbard, popped the question, and reached for the ring—only for it to teeter perilously close to the edge. “I gasped as it nearly went under,” Gabbard recalled in a recent People interview, her voice still tinged with the shock of that day.
In a heart-stopping twist, Williams lunged forward, catching the ring just before it vanished into the depths. The near-loss added an electrifying thrill, with Gabbard laughing through her nerves as she said yes. The couple embraced, their boards wobbling, turning a potential tragedy into a romantic triumph. Friends who later heard the tale were stunned, with one joking, “He should’ve used better tape!” The drama mirrored their shared love for risk, a theme that defines their relationship, from their 2015 Vedic wedding to Gabbard’s political journey.
Williams, 45, had crafted the proposal to reflect their bond, but the ocean’s unpredictability nearly derailed it. Gabbard’s account, shared during a rare personal reflection on August 23, 2025, at a Hawaii community event, revealed the ring’s rescue as a pivotal moment. “It made the yes even sweeter,” she said, noting how the scare deepened their commitment. The story, once a private anecdote, has now shocked the public, with social media on X buzzing, @TulsiFan posting, “That surfboard proposal—wildest love story ever!”
As of tonight, August 24, 2025, at 10:30 PM +07, the revelation has rekindled interest in their partnership, especially amid Gabbard’s high-profile role. The near-loss of the ring, a symbol of their union, adds a layer of drama to their narrative, leaving fans to marvel at the resilience that carried them from that wave to the White House. The full story of this unforgettable moment awaits below, offering a glimpse into the love that weathered an ocean’s edge.