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Video: Florida Man Survives Hurricane Milton By Clinging to Cooler

Water cooler
Courtesy USCG

Published Oct 10, 2024 8:36 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

On Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard found and rescued a Florida man who survived Hurricane Milton by clinging to a plastic cooler in 25-foot waves. It was his second helicopter rescue in three days. 

On Monday afternoon, the captain of the fishing vessel Capt. Dave contacted Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg to report that his boat was disabled about 20 miles off Treasure Island, Florida. The skipper and a crewmember had to be rescued, so the Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter aircrew to hoist them aboard and deliver them safely to shore. The boat was abandoned to drift.

On Wednesday morning at about 0300 hours, the skipper of the Capt. Dave went back out to attempt to make repairs to the vessel. Meanwhile, Hurricane Milton was approaching the west coast of Florida, and was on course to make landfall south of St. Petersburg that evening.

At about noon on Wednesday, the owner of the Capt. Dave contacted the Coast Guard and reported that the skipper had not checked in. Sector St. Petersburg managed to reach the skipper aboard the Capt. Dave over radio, and he told them that the vessel's rudder was fouled with line. 

At this point, the hurricane was swiftly approaching. Seas were running 6-8 feet with winds of 25 knots, and conditions were deteriorating. Sector St. Petersburg instructed the skipper to put on a life jacket and stay with the vessel's EPIRB so that he would be easier to find. The watchstanders lost contact with him at 1845 hours, shortly before the storm made landfall. 

The skipper followed instructions, grabbing a life vest and the EPIRB, plus a cooler for extra floatation. He stayed afloat and alive through the hurricane, and the Coast Guard rescued him early Thursday morning. 

"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."