Captain Spent Over 18 Hours Clinging to Cooler Off Florida Coast After Hurricane Milton: 'Nightmare Scenario'
The Coast Guard said the Florida man experienced 75-90 mph winds and 20-25 foot seas as a result of the hurricane
The U.S. Coast Guard came to the rescue of a Florida captain who survived the night in the Gulf of Mexico by clinging to a cooler after Hurricane Milton.
On Thursday, Oct. 10, at 1:30 p.m. local time, “a Coast Guard Air Station Miami helicopter crew rescued a man approximately 30 miles off Longboat Key after he was found clinging to a cooler wearing a life jacket,” according to a news release from the Coast Guard.
“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 man has not been identified at this time.
The agency did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment for more information.
Related: Crane Collapses into Tampa Bay Times’ Office Building During Hurricane Milton
The man, who was the captain of the fishing boat, contacted the Coast Guard on Monday, Oct. 7, after “he and a crew member were disabled approximately 20 miles off John's Pass,” according to the agency.
“The aircrew hoisted the two people and brought them back to Air Station Clearwater in good condition."
Two days later — and hours before Milton was due to make landfall — the man “went back out to the boat to make repairs at approximately 3 a.m. and hadn't checked in,” officials said.
Fortunately, “watchstanders were able to make radio contact with the captain who reported the rudder was fouled with a line and became disabled during his transit back to port,” Coast Guard officials said.
The weather on Oct. 9 included “6-8 foot seas" and "approximately 30 mph winds” directly as a result of Milton.
The Coast Guard told the man to put on a life jacket and "stay with the vessel's emergency position indicating radio beacon,” however communications were lost. It would be more than 18 hours later before the man was rescued.
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In a dramatic video of the rescue, a Coast Guard crew member is seen being lower in the water via helicopter wearing a harness before he eventually reaches the stranded man, who is seen floating on a small cooler.
“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," Grady added. "He survived because of a life jacket, his emergency position indicating locator beacon, and a cooler."
Following the rescue, the man was transported to Tampa General Hospital for further evaluation.
Hurricane Milton made landfall around Siesta Key, Fla., around 8:30 p.m. local time on Oct. 9, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm brought maximum sustained wind speeds of 120 mph. At least 16 people have died so far.
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