MIAMI, Fla. – The U.S. Coast Guard Air Station (USCG) shared a video Thursday of a jaw-dropping helicopter rescue of a man found clinging to a cooler approximately 30 miles off Longboat Key, Florida, as Hurricane Milton neared the area.
According to a release, on Wednesday at noon, the owner of the fishing vessel, Captain Dave, reported to Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg that the captain had taken the boat out for repairs and hadn’t checked in. The USCG was able to make radio contact with the captain, “who reported the rudder was fouled with a line and became disabled during his transit back to port.”
A Coast Guard Air Station Miami helicopter was launched at 5:30 a.m. Thursday.
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The weather at the time was 6-8 foot seas, and approximately 30 mph winds but quickly deteriorating as the storm approached, the release stated.
The captain was recovered at 1:30 p.m. and flown to Tampa General Hospital.
“This man survived in a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner,” said Lt. Cmdr. Dana Grady, Sector St. Petersburg’s command center chief. “To understand the severity of the hurricane conditions, we estimate he experienced approximately 75-90 mph winds, 20-25 foot seas, for an extended period of time overnight. He survived because of a life jacket, his emergency position indicating locator beacon, and a cooler.”
Click the play button above to watch the rescue unfold. Click here to read the full story.
Thank you, USCG!