A fishing boat captain in Florida became separated from his vessel during Hurricane Milton and survived by clinging to a floating cooler in the Gulf of Mexico before being rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard. The man was found approximately 30 miles off the coast of Longboat Key and was pulled to safety by a Coast Guard helicopter. Lt. Cmdr. Dana Grady described the man’s survival as a “nightmare scenario,” with hurricane conditions of 75-90 mph winds and 20-25 foot seas. The man was taken to Tampa General Hospital for treatment, but his current condition is not known.
The captain’s harrowing ordeal began when his vessel, called Capt. Dave, became disabled approximately 20 miles off John’s Pass. A helicopter crew retrieved two people from the vessel in good condition, but the boat was left adrift and salvage arrangements were to be made. The captain went back out to make repairs to the boat, shortly before Hurricane Milton hit Florida’s western coast as a Category 3 storm. As the weather deteriorated, the captain’s vessel’s rudder became disabled while trying to take it back to port. Despite worsening conditions, the captain was told to put on a life jacket and stay with the vessel’s emergency locator beacon.
Several hours after trying to take the vessel back to port, the Coast Guard made radio contact with the captain as the weather conditions worsened with 6 to 8 foot waves and 30 mph winds. The captain was instructed to stay with the emergency locator beacon, but the Coast Guard lost contact with him around 6:45 p.m. The man’s use of a life jacket, emergency beacon, and cooler were credited with his incredible survival in the treacherous hurricane conditions. As of Friday, over a dozen deaths in Florida have been attributed to Hurricane Milton, making the captain’s survival story all the more remarkable.
The unidentified boat captain who survived by clinging to a floating cooler in the Gulf of Mexico during Hurricane Milton was eventually rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard approximately 30 miles off the coast of Longboat Key in Florida. The man’s survival in extreme hurricane conditions with winds of 75-90 mph and 20-25 foot seas was described as a “nightmare scenario” by Coast Guard officials. The captain’s vessel, Capt. Dave, had become disabled approximately 20 miles off John’s Pass, leading to a rescue operation that successfully brought two people back to land in good condition.
After trying to make repairs to his disabled vessel, the captain became separated from it as Hurricane Milton slammed Florida’s western coast as a Category 3 storm. The deteriorating weather conditions caused the captain to lose contact with the Coast Guard as he clung to a floating cooler with only a life jacket and emergency beacon to aid in his survival. Despite the challenging circumstances, the man’s use of these safety measures helped him endure the hurricane until his eventual rescue. The captain’s survival story stands out among the devastation caused by Hurricane Milton in Florida, which resulted in over a dozen deaths as of Friday.
