Three Friends’ Struggle for Survival at Sea

Paul Lee’s first trip on his newly acquired fishing boat didn’t go quite as planned. Instead of enjoying a day on the water, he and his friends found themselves clinging to the sides of two floating coolers in the tumultuous Gulf of Mexico as their boat sank.

What were their chances of making it through? Not great.

“After the boat sank, the Coast Guard estimated there was less than a 1 percent chance of finding the men in the water,” noted Michael Tougias, the author of “In Deep Water: A True Story of Sharks, Survival, and Courage.”

Tougias, known for his narratives on survival and rescue at sea, was drawn to Lee’s ordeal, sensing an opportunity for a new book.

“This story had all the twists and drama I was looking for,” he remarked.

The incident unfolded on October 8, 2022. Lee, a second-generation Vietnamese American living in New Orleans and working as a real estate agent, had always enjoyed fishing. However, he usually only ventured into deeper waters when someone else had a boat. When he purchased a used 24-foot Pro-Line center console, he thought to himself, “Finally, I have my own vessel for fishing near offshore oil platforms.”

Accompanied by his lifelong friends, Sonny and Lou, they launched the boat but struggled to catch anything. Shortly after moving about ten miles into the Gulf, water began to seep into the boat, but it wasn’t visible at first. Once they noticed, Lee scrambled to return to shore, but the waves overwhelmed the boat, and the engine failed.

“There’s a problem,” Lee realized too late.

With a broken bilge and unreachable radio, their distress calls were futile. In the frenzy to escape the sinking vessel, the flare gun was misplaced.

“Time seems to have sped up as one catastrophe after another struck,” wrote Tougias.

As their boat was submerged, the three men collected life preservers and tied two coolers together, creating a makeshift raft. Thankfully, one cooler held a few bottles of water, some mandarin oranges, and a bit of sandwich meat.

That said, they faced several misfortunes, losing their hats and sunglasses, exposing them to severe sunburn under the harsh sun. It was supposed to be calm weather, but the winds intensified, causing rough waves.

Although they held onto their cell phones, there was no signal. Lee kept the unsettling realization of being in a “dead zone” to himself.

The boat sank before noon, and they weren’t reported missing until night. The low number of fishing boats in the area meant their chances of quick rescue were slim.

With no choice, they attempted to swim to the nearest oil rig about a mile away, battling strong currents. Their coolers were more of a hindrance, pulling them off course.

After three exhausting hours, they never reached the rig. To make things worse, they swam into a swarm of jellyfish, resulting in painful stings. None suffered worse than Lee, who complained of excruciating pain.

As the jellyfish stung, panic began to creep in as they contemplated the blood in the water attracting sharks. Sure enough, a tiger shark soon circled nearby, intensifying their fears.

Even as daylight faded, the trio did not surrender. Lee thought about surviving for his fiancée, Sam, and their young son, Alexander. Sonny felt the urgency to return home to care for his ailing father and dog, while Lou dreamed of buying his first house.

By dusk, Sam sensed something was wrong and reported Lee’s absence to the Coast Guard, although she wasn’t aware of the exact marina they had departed from. Consequently, the search for Lee’s group took place over a vast area of ocean.

If their boat had still been afloat, the Coast Guard might have located them quickly. However, with the vessel lost, the odds of finding the men dwindled significantly.

Underwater, things took a turn for the worse. Although his friends advised against it, Lee decided to swim toward a visible shrimp boat for help. Unfortunately, the shrimpers, unaware of the trio’s plight, turned away from the site.

On top of everything, Sonny, usually the most athletic of the group, suffered a heart attack without realizing it.

Meanwhile, Lou, exhausted after nearly 24 hours in the water, thought about giving up. After capturing a video message for his family, he was suddenly attacked by a tiger shark. In a desperate bid for survival, he pushed his thumbs into the shark’s eyes, causing it to retreat.

Against all odds, all three men survived their 28-hour ordeal in the Gulf.

“They’re safe now,” said the Coast Guard rescuer. “We are the best at what we do.”