Fisherman rescued off U.S. Virgin Islands amid Tropical Storm Earl’s waves
Crews from the U.S. Coast Guards rescued a spear fisherman clinging to rocks in the U.S. Virgin Islands waters on Sunday amid Tropical Storm Earl’s six-foot waves, helicopter footage shows.
The survivor, a man reportedly over 50-yearsold, was injured and holding on to rocks as Earl’s waves crashed against them just off a small and uninhabited island called Dog Island, the Coast Guard said in a news release. In the video, a crew member wearing a helmet, wet suit and fins is hoisted down from the helicopter and taken closer to the fisherman while dangling from a cord. Crews then are seen securing him before pulling the man up from the Caribbean waters.
Details about the fisherman’s injuries weren’t released.
The rescue operation started at 8:30 a.m. when crews in Puerto Rico received a call from a 911 emergency dispatch operator in St. Thomas who, according to the Coast
Guard, said that a fisherman was in distress after setting sail aboard a 26foot Grady White vessel. St. Thomas is one of two main islands that are part of the U.S. territory.
The Coast Guard launched a a 33-foot rescue craft in St. Thomas and an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Borinquen in the neighboring U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, the agency said. On scene, the Coast Guard boat crew attempted to pass a line to the fisherman but the crashing waves prevented the crew from getting close enough to reach him. The Coast Guard helicopter then moved in and deployed the aircraft rescue swimmer who used a harness to secure and hoist the survivor from the rocks.
The aircrew transported the fisherman to the Cyril E. King airport in St. Thomas, where he was transferred to awaiting paramedics and taken to a hospital.
“This was a challenging case in a tropical storm with heavy seas, gusty winds, and low visibility, but this is what the Coast Guard trains for,” said Lt.
Shea Smith, Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk aircraft commander. “I’m proud of the crew, everyone came together as a team to safely and efficiently execute the mission. Fortunately, the survivor was
able to hang on until we could arrive and we are all glad that he is safe.”