Florida Skipper Clings to Cooler in 25-Foot Waves During Hurricane Milton, Rescued by Coast Guard
A Florida man survived a harrowing ordeal during Hurricane Milton, clinging to a plastic cooler in 25-foot waves before being rescued by the US Coast Guard on Thursday morning. This marked his second helicopter rescue within just three days, demonstrating the extreme dangers he faced.
The man, the skipper of the fishing vessel Capt. Dave, initially encountered trouble on Monday afternoon when his boat became disabled approximately 20 miles off the coast of Treasure Island, Florida. The captain contacted the Coast Guard’s Sector St. Petersburg to report the vessel’s malfunction, and both he and a crew member were airlifted to safety by a Coast Guard helicopter crew. The boat was left to drift, abandoned at sea, as the Coast Guard prioritized their rescue due to worsening conditions.
However, determined to repair his boat, the skipper ventured back out early Wednesday morning around 3:00 am to attempt fixing the Capt. Dave. Unfortunately, this decision coincided with the rapid approach of Hurricane Milton, which was heading toward Florida’s west coast and predicted to make landfall later that day near St. Petersburg.
#Breaking An @USCG Air Station Miami 65 helicopter crew rescued a man clinging to a cooler approximately 30 mi. off Longboat Key.
The man was taken to Tampa General Hospital for medical care.
Sector St. Pete lost communications w/ the man at approx. 6:45 p.m., Wed. #SAR pic.twitter.com/64wSHuRAeH
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) October 10, 2024
By noon on Wednesday, the boat’s owner contacted the Coast Guard again, worried that the skipper had failed to check in. The Coast Guard managed to establish radio contact with him on the Capt. Dave, where he reported that the vessel’s rudder was entangled with line and unusable. With the hurricane drawing closer and the weather quickly deteriorating, Sector St. Petersburg advised the skipper to don a life jacket, remain near the vessel’s emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB), and prepare for the worst.
By the evening, conditions had worsened dramatically. The seas rose to 6-8 feet, and winds reached speeds of 25 knots, making the situation increasingly perilous. The Coast Guard lost radio contact with the skipper at 6:45 pm, just before Hurricane Milton made landfall. For the next several hours, he endured the storm’s fury, facing wind speeds estimated between 75-90 mph and towering waves of 20-25 feet.
Despite the terrifying conditions, the skipper remained resilient. Following the Coast Guard’s instructions, he grabbed a life jacket, the EPIRB, and a cooler to help him stay afloat. He drifted through the night in these treacherous waters, using the cooler for additional flotation as he awaited rescue.
The next morning, after enduring a nightmare scenario that would have tested even the most seasoned mariners, the US Coast Guard found and rescued him. The man’s survival was attributed to his quick thinking in grabbing the life jacket and the EPIRB, along with the cooler that kept him buoyant amid the powerful waves.
“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 to include overnight. He survived because of a life jacket, his emergency position indicating locator beacon, and a cooler.”
This extraordinary rescue highlights the importance of proper safety equipment and quick decision-making during maritime emergencies, particularly in the face of extreme weather events like Hurricane Milton.