He was really calm.
Dramatic video captures the moment a fisherman was miraculously rescued after being found clinging to an icebox some 30 miles off the Florida coast after being stranded overnight in 25-foot waters devastated by Hurricane Milton. A video has been released.
The man, whose name has not been released, was rescued Thursday after a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew found him floating on top of an open cooler in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, officials said.
“This man survived a scenario that would be a nightmare for even the most experienced sailor,” said Coast Guard Officer Dana Grady.
“To give you an idea of the severity of the hurricane situation, it is estimated that he experienced winds of approximately 75 to 90 miles per hour and sea depths of 20 to 25 feet for an extended period of time, including overnight.”
“He survived thanks to a life jacket, an emergency positioning beacon and a cooler,” she added.
The harrowing ordeal began Monday when the man's fishing boat became disabled off the coast of Madeira Beach, Florida, officials said.
A Coast Guard helicopter was dispatched and pulled the captain and another crew member to safety, leaving the ship behind.
However, the men chose to return to the boat on Wednesday to repair the rudder problem, just hours before the hurricane made landfall.
Officials said they were able to radio again for help to the coast guard near St. Petersburg, but contact was lost around 6:45 p.m.
Officials told him to wear a life jacket, prepare for the hurricane, and remain in the vessel's emergency position displaying a radio beacon.
At the time of the loss, waves were about 6 to 8 feet high and winds were blowing at about 30 miles per hour, the Coast Guard said.
When rescuers were finally able to set out to search for the fisherman Thursday, they managed to locate him about 30 miles from Longboat Key, an island off the coast of the Sarasota area.
Incredible aerial footage of the rescue showed the fisherman bobbing up and down on a cooler while a Coast Guard diver was lowered from a helicopter and swam to pick him up.
The man was taken to Tampa General Hospital for treatment, the Coast Guard said.
The fate of his boat was not immediately known.
with post wire
