Preparation and safety are key in any boat outing – it’s made evident by the Coast Guard’s rescue of a Washington man who was rescued three miles north of Neah Bay after jumping off his burning boat and being found in a sever hypothermic state.
The man radioed in a call to Coast Guard aircrew, informing them of his situation that required him to abandon his 25-foot pleasure craft Dawn Trader, which had caught fire, landing him in 46-degree water.
Luckily the man was prepared and put on a survival suit before jumping into the water, heading for his life raft.
Image: U.S. Coast Guard
It was a combination of good samaritans and a response boat from the Coast Guard that allowed the man to be saved before succumbing to hypothermia.
“Based on deteriorating responsiveness of the survivor to our radio calls, we suspected he was near succumbing to hypothermia and feared he would lose consciousness.” said Lt. Cmdr. Edward Geraghty, aircraft commander, in a statement to ABC News.
The man was able to be found relatively easily, thanks to his radio beacon that allowed his location to be better pinpointed.
Image: U.S. Coast Guard
