For one Florida man who survived Hurricane Milton, keeping his head above water involved clinging to a cooler in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico.
Video released by the U.S. Coast Guard shows the moment the fisherman was rescued after his boat became stranded Wednesday night as the monster storm churned toward the west coast of the Sunshine State.
The man's name has not been released by authorities.
He was pulled from Gulf waters by a Coast Guard helicopter crew on Thursday after being spotted floating on the open ice box, officials said.
"This man survived in a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner," Coast Guard official Dana Grady said in a statement. "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," she added.
The ordeal began when the man's fishing vessel became disabled off Madeira Beach, Florida, on Monday. A Coast Guard helicopter was sent out to retrieve the man, who was the captain, and another crew member, with the vessel left adrift.
The man returned to the boat around 3 a.m. on Wednesday, however, to make repairs and reported a rudder issue when radio contact was established around noon.
By that point, Hurricane Milton was preparing to make landfall on Florida's west coast and the weather was quickly deteriorating as the storm approached, with 6- to 8-foot seas and approximately 30 mph winds.
Coast Guard officials told the captain to prepare for the hurricane by donning a life jacket and staying with the vessel's emergency position-indicating radio beacon. Contact was lost at about 6:45 p.m. Wednesday night, the officials said.
When he was rescued Thursday afternoon, the fisherman was found approximately 30 miles off Longboat Key.
Aerial footage of the rescue showed the man bobbing up and down on the waves like a cork as a Coast Guard diver was lowered to the water and swam to him.
He was taken to Tampa General Hospital for evaluation and medical care, the Coast Guard said.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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