A Florida fishing boat captain faced an ordeal of survival, spending more than 18 hours clinging to a cooler in the Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Milton tore through the area. The U.S. Coast Guard successfully rescued the man about 30 miles off Longboat Key at approximately 1:30 p.m. local time on Thursday, October 10.
According to a Coast Guard release, the captain was found to be wearing a life jacket, a vital piece of equipment that likely saved his life. “This man survived in a nightmare situation for even the most experienced sailor,” said Lieutenant Commander Dana Grady, head of the command center at Sector St. Petersburg. The identity of the captain has not been revealed yet.
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The captain first contacted the Coast Guard on Monday, October 7, when his fishing boat became disabled about 20 miles off Johns Pass, prompting a rescue operation that took him and a crew member to Air Station Was brought back safely to Clearwater. Just two days later, as Hurricane Milton approached land, the captain returned to the boat at about 3 a.m. to make repairs, but failed to check later.
On October 9, during severe weather conditions caused by the storm, which included 6 to 8 foot seas and winds of approximately 30 mph, the Coast Guard managed to establish radio contact with the captain. He told that the hull of the boat was damaged, due to which he was stuck. Coast Guard officials advised them to wear their life jackets and stay close to the radio beacon indicating the ship’s emergency status. Unfortunately, communications were lost shortly thereafter.
After being adrift for more than 18 hours, the Coast Guard launched a helicopter rescue operation. Dramatic footage shows a crew member wading through turbulent waters to reach the captain, who was clinging to a small cooler. “To understand the severity of the storm’s conditions, we estimate that they experienced approximately 75-90 mph winds and 20-25 foot seas for an extended period of time, including overnight,” Grady said. His survival was attributed to his life jacket, emergency locator beacon, and the cooler he was carrying.
Following the rescue, the captain was transferred to Tampa General Hospital. Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida around 8:30 a.m. local time on October 9, bringing maximum sustained winds of 120 mph and resulting in at least 16 fatalities so far.
