Man stranded for three days on uninhabited Bahamas island is rescued by Coast Guard after they spotted ‘disabled sailboat firing flares’
- A man was rescued after becoming stranded on an uninhabited Bahamas island
- The 64-year-old set off flares which were spotted by the US Coast Guard
- He was found in good health, though dehydrated and returned to the Bahamas
A man has been rescued from an uninhibited island after becoming stranded for three days.
The 64-year-old got into trouble last week 135 miles from the coast of the Bahamas when his boat failed to mobilize and he was forced to signal for help.
He fired flares from his disabled sailboat off the coast of Cay Sal, an island located between Florida, Cuba, and the Bahamas.
The distress signals were spotted by the Coast Guard Air Station Miami Auxiliary aircrew who notified the Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstanders.
A US Coast Guard aircrew spotted the disabled sail boat after flares were fired
The man was stranded on Cay Sal for three days after his boat failed to mobilize
The US Coast Guard have an agreement with the Bahamas to regularly fly over Cay Sal to look for people who are potentially stranded there
A Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew found the man stranded on the island and dropped him supplies, including food, water and a radio to communicate with him.
When he was rescued on Friday, he told crews he had been stranded for three days.
The man, who is from the Bahamas, was taken back to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force in good health.
A member of Coast Guard Sector Key West said the rescue serves as a good reminder why it’s important to have the correct safety equipment on board.
‘We’re proud to have saved this man’s life. This case serves as a perfect example of why you must have the proper safety equipment on your vessel,’ Petty Officer 3rd Class Dev Craig said.
‘Without seeing the flare, the case may not have had a successful outcome.’
Cal Say is located 135 miles from the Bahamas, 81 miles from Florida and 32 miles from the Cuba.
The US Coast Guard have an agreement with the Bahamas to regularly fly over Cay Sal to look for people who are potentially stranded there.
It comes as four missing divers were found alive and rescued after going missing during a pleasure cruise.
The men had been diving off a recreational boat called ‘Big Bill’s’ around midday on Sunday when they failed to resurface about 50 miles south of Cape Fear in North Carolina and the alarm was raised.
Significant efforts were launched to find the group, with crews searching through the night to find them.
The group were located about 63 miles east of Myrtle Beach.
Pictures taken by the US Coast Guard show the heartwarming moment the men were reunited with their families.
In one moving image, one of the men is seen on his knees with his arms wrapped around a young boy.
Another shows the man tightly embracing a child in tears as a woman holds them.
Rescuers worked in sea conditions of about 2-3 feet with 10-knot winds and continued through the night to find them, the Coast Guard said in a statement.
An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew, an HC-130 Hercules aircraft crew, an HC-130 aircraft crew, a 47-foot motor lifeboat crew, the Coast Guard Cutter Sailfish, an 87-foot patrol boat, and the Coast Guard Cutter Yellowfin were deployed to help locate them.
The crews spread from North and South Carolina to as far as Sandy Hook in New Jersey.
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