Boaters Rescued by Good Samaritan, Coast Guard

Four fishermen were rescued by the Coast Guard and a good Samaritan after their 34-foot fishing boat sank 14 miles west of Tarpon Springs on Friday. 

According to a news release, Pasco County emergency dispatch contacted the Coast Guard at 10 a.m. stating they received a call from one of the four fishermen who reported their position before they sank and were disconnected.

Watchstanders diverted a helicopter crew , launched a 45-foot response boat crew and diverted the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Alligator to assist.

The helicopter crew spotted two mariners wearing life jackets and clinging to a cooler at 12:54 p.m. 

The release stated that the aircrew pulled them from the water and transferred them to the air station. Shortly after, a good Samaritan found a third fisherman and brought him aboard.

Surface rescue crews continued to search for about an hour before the helicopter crew, who rescued the first two, returned to the scene to find the fourth fisherman at 1:45 p.m. The aircrew immediately hoisted him and transferred him to the air station. 

"It is extremely fortunate that we were able to locate these four men,” said Lt. j.g. Mike Roberts, a Sector St. Petersburg search and rescue coordinator. “Having distress indicating devices like an emergency position indicating radio beacon or a VHF-FM radio would have greatly aided the speed of response and rescue, because these devices pin-point the position of distress.”
 

All four fishermen were treated for different degrees of hypothermia. One of them was transported via emergency medical service for further care, according to a release from the Coast Guard.