A man was found stranded in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, holding onto an ice cooler for dear life.
It was revealed that the boat captain was making repairs on a fishing vessel before a harrowing turn of events on Wednesday, October 9.
When the monstrous Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida that same day, the unidentified captain was out at sea and had no choice but to spend the night in the rough waters.
Highlights
- A man was found clinging to a cooler for survival after Hurricane Milton hit.
- Rescuers found him about 30 miles off Longboat Key on Oct 10.
- “This man survived in a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner,” Lt. Cmdr. Dana Grady, Sector St. Petersburg’s command center chief, said in a statement.
- Netizens humorously praised the cooler's durability.
A boat captain found himself facing the brutal force of Hurricane Milton after it made landfall in Florida on Wednesday, October 9
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Earlier this week, the U.S. Coast Guard received a report that the same fishing vessel had broken down at sea, about 20 miles off John's Pass. The boat captain and another crew member were hoisted to safety by rescuers on Monday while the vessel was left at sea.
On Wednesday, the boat owner informed the Coast Guard that the same captain had gone back to the boat to make repairs before dawn and that he hadn’t heard from him since.
In a real-life survival tale, the captain was found holding onto an ice cooler for dear life after the chaos of the storm
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Bystanders were able to make radio contact with the captain and urged him to keep his life jacket on. They lost communication with him around 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday evening.
Hours after the catastrophic storm, rescuers found him holding onto a cooler at around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 10.
“This man survived in a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner," Lt. Cmdr. Dana Grady, Sector St. Petersburg's command center chief, said in a statement.
The unidentified man was found approximately 30 miles off Longboat Key on the afternoon of Thursday, October 10
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"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."
The rescued man was taken to Tampa General hospital for medical attention.
Netizens were in awe of the dramatic rescue, with some praising the captain’s resilience and humorously asking for the cooler's brand
Netizens praised the Coast Guard for their efforts, calling it an “amazing rescue.”
“Y’all are incredible, and that Dude is blessed beyond belief,” one said, while another wrote, “One lucky guy right there.”
“What brand cooler? I need that!” another remarked.
Another joked, “He kept his cool during the ordeal.”
"Miraculous," one netizen said about the incident, while another called it a "fantastic save"
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