Fishermen saved by Coast Guard in high-seas drama captured on video
They were the catch of the day.
A pair of frightened fishermen were dumped in the ocean when their boat flipped over in 8-foot swells off the coast of Puerto Rico on Saturday โ and only saved in the nick of time.
Dramatic video from the US Coast Guard captured the moment the two soggy mariners โ clinging to their sinking boat โ were plucked to safety about 5 miles from Desecheo Island off Puerto Ricoโs western shoreline.
The pairโs sinking fishing boat went down just 5 minutes after help arrived, the federal maritime agency said in a press release Sunday.
โOur crews worked together to conduct the rescue safely and efficiently with the best possible outcome,โ Coast Guard aircraft commander Lt. David Tirado Tolosa said in a statement.
โEmergencies at sea can happen at any given moment,โ Tolosa said. โWe recommend all mariners wear their life jackets and carry a marine grade radio as these men did, in case they encounter an unexpected situation at sea.โ
The Coast Guard received the distress alert around 4 p.m. about a disabled vessel in the ocean.
An MH-60 Jayhawk chopper was then dispatched from Air Station Borinquen in Puerto Rico to rush to the scene โ arriving just before the boat sank at 5 p.m.
The footage shows a Coast Guard crew member jumping into the water and swimming out to the two men, who were then pulled onto the helicopter one at a time.
The two men were not injured, the Coast Guard said.
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