Over the weekend, U.S. Coast Guard Southeast crews worked together to rescue a missing 17-year-old girl after a four-hour search in the Gulf of Mexico.
Halfway through a 2-mile day trip from Fred Howard Park to the Anclote Keyes, Karlin O’Neill’s arms got tired and she decided to turn around while her father, mother and brother continued on, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Ashley J. Johnson.
The girl, who had not returned to the designated meeting place at the end of a family kayak trip, stated her kayak had been waked by a boat and she lost her paddle and then drifted for several hours into the dark.
A rescue crew recovered her and her kayak using a boat hook. She was reunited with her family and taken to a local hospital as a precaution, authorities said.
