A US Coast Guard Air Station Dolphin helicopter crew rescued a boater from Dallas, Texas from a life raft early Sunday morning, 2 December 2018. The rescue happened approximately 30 nautical miles east of Samaná.
The Coast Guard reported that 46-year old Justin Smith survived the incident because he was in possession of technology that enabled rescuers to easily find him after his boat capsized. He survived in a life raft where he had a VHF radio, strobe lights, flares, a life vest, and an EPIRB, which made him highly visible and easy to locate.
The Coast Guard received a Mayday radio transmission from Smith at 3am on Sunday. Smith told them he deployed and embarked his life raft after his 26-foot catamaran capsized and sank while traveling from Fajardo, Puerto Rico, to Samaná, Dominican Republic.
There is a lesson to be learned. “This case demonstrates how being prepared beforehand can save your life,” Lt. Cmdr. Adam Mullin, MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircraft commander said in a Coast Guard media release.
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US Coast Guard
5 December 2018
