'Nightmare Scenario': Coast Guard Rescues Man Clinging To Cooler After Milton

LONGBOAT KEY, FL — The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a fishing boat captain found clinging to a cooler in the Gulf of Mexico, 15 hours after Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida's central west coast.

Video of the dramatic rescue shared on social media showed the moment a helicopter crew from the Coast Guard's Miami air station rescued the man.

"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 news release. "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."

Hurricane Milton made landfall around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane in Siesta Key, about 70 miles south of Tampa. The storm brought devastating winds, record rainfall and flooding to the area. As of Friday, at least 14 people had died.

A series of events led up to Thursday's dramatic rescue, according to the Coast Guard.

On Monday, officials said the captain of the fishing vessel Capt. Dave contacted the Coast Guard in St. Pete around 12:40 p.m. and reported that the boat carrying him and a crew member had become disabled approximately 20 miles off John's Pass.

Boat and helicopter rescue crews responded to the location and hoisted the captain and crew member to safety, officials said. The boat was left adrift pending salvage arrangements.

Around noon Wednesday, just hours before Milton's landfall, the owner of the boat contacted the Coast Guard and told them the captain went back out to the boat around 3 a.m. to make repairs and hadn't checked in.

"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.

Conditions deteriorated quickly and the captain was instructed to put on his life jacket, officials said.

The Coast Guard lost contact with the captain around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday. A search was launched at 5:30 a.m. Thursday and the captain was located around 1:30 p.m. approximately 30 miles off Longboat Key.

The man was taken to Tampa General Hospital for treatment, officials said. His current condition was unknown.

"He survived because of a life jacket, his emergency position indicating locator beacon and a cooler," Grady said.

Lt. Landon Klopfenstein, one of the Miami-based helicopter pilots, called the successful rescue "a miracle," according to an NPR report.

"We do a lot of searches for people in the water," Klopfenstein said in a video shared by the Coast Guard. "So to get to have a success story like this is not as common as we'd like it. And we were all very, very excited. We couldn't believe it, honestly, that he was OK."