Two Florida Men Rescued After 17 Hours At Sea

Two Florida men floated in the waters off Fort Pierce Florida for 17 hours before finally being rescued by the Coast Guard and some Good Samaritans. According to ABC News, Justyn Bradley and Cory Bowman were dolphin fishing off Jupiter Inlet near Fort Pierce, Florida Sunday, when rough waters toppled their boat and knocked them into the sea.

Bradley, 37, and Bowman, 38, had gone out fishing Sunday on Bradley’s 21-foot Parker, according to the Sun-Sentinel. The two reportedly had been doing just fine until around four p.m., when a 12-foot rogue wave came at them, capsizing the boat and throwing the two men into the sea.

“It pitched my buddy Justyn 30 feet out of the boat, it literally just catapulted him,” said Bowman, adding that he grew up in Florida and has spent a lot of time on the water. “This thing was just, I’ve never seen one that sharp, that tall. It was ridiculous.”

The two were then forced to cling to the overturned boat and a cooler filled with food and water until help could arrive. According to ABC News, the two men had given their wives detailed plans of their fishing plans and route, so when the two Florida men did not return as scheduled Sunday evening, their wives alerted the Coast Guard.

Bradley told reporters that they waited all night Sunday for help and a plane even came close, though it left because it hadn’t spotted the two men in the sea. “Honestly, neither one of us ever panicked at all,” Bowman said. “I really, truly believed I was going to get found”

It wasn’t until 8:30 Monday morning that a Coast Guard air crew spotted the two Florida men. It was around that same time a civilian boat reportedly also spotted the two floating in the water and rushed over to help them. According to ABC News, Coast Guard cameras captured the Good Samaritans in the boat going over to help rescue the two Florida men. The Good Samaritans reportedly pulled the two men to safety.

Bowman said that he never really lost his cool, not until the ordeal was over. “I didn’t break down really until I got on land, saw my family, my wife.” The mens’ wives held on hope that the two would be found and return home. Bradley’s wife, Beth, reportedly described the men as “seaworthy” and said she alternated between calm and panic all night.

“I knew that if anybody was going to survive [out there], it was going to be those two,” she said. “But the thought crosses your mind, what if they don’t come home?”

The two Florida men who were rescued after spending 17 hours at sea reportedly suffered no injuries other than exhaustion and dehydration.

[Image Via Bing]