A recreational scuba-diving couple were left adrift off Florida’s Gulf Coast for almost six hours after their vessel broke anchor during a dive on 9 April. The boat had drifted away in high winds and waves from a dive-site some 8km from Boca Grande.
Tony Rivera and Brianna Rutledge from Arcadia in Florida had surfaced at around 2.30pm to find the vessel gone, and had no emergency communications device with which to summon help.
They swam an estimated 1.5km to a crab-trap buoy 2km offshore and held onto it for the remainder of the afternoon, using their SMB and, as night fell, a strobe-light to mark their position.
The couple later told press that they had been praying for rescue. “We knew there was going to be no help… this is it,” said Rivera. Fortunately their light was eventually spotted from a distance and the alarm raised.
Rescue crews from Charlotte County Fire & EMS were dispatched to the scene from Gasparilla Marina in what they reported to be high winds and a strong outgoing tide. The divers were picked up at around 8.20pm and brought ashore for medical evaluation and warming, though they declined to be taken to hospital.
“This is a good reminder to carry a signalling device, and file a float plan before heading out,” stated the rescuers. “It helps responders locate you quickly if something goes wrong.” The couple were left hoping that they would get their boat back.
In January the US Coast Guard rescued three divers on the other side of Florida after they had become separated from their dive-boat off Palm Beach, as reported on Divernet. In that case the divers had been able to call for help using a satellite emergency notification device.
