Coast Guard said float plan and a marine radio saved five boaters’ lives

What started out as a fishing trip, quickly turned into a Gulf of Mexico rescue mission 23 miles off the coast of Marco Island.

According to First Class Petty Officer Diego Gonzales, 5 men found themselves stranded on their boat on Saturday afternoon.

“Morale was high on the boat, which is always great when you come across one of these scenes, or vessels that has been missing for over a set amount of hours,” said Petty Officer Gonzales.

The 5 fishermen spent more than 24 hours lost at sea, but what helped the Coast Guard find them?

“The five boaters that were missing out at sea, were able to keep communications ongoing with their family, relative on land,” said Santiago Gomez, Coast Guard Seventh District public affairs specialist.

In other words, a float plan.

And that helped the rescue team narrow their search and were able to pinpoint the missing boater’s exact location thanks to a signal they picked up from their marine radio.

“In the 18 years that I’ve been in the Coast Guard, we’ve had some cases where it hasn’t been successful,” Petty Officer Gonzales said. “But luckily, [on Sunday,] everything worked out how it should, and they’re able to go home safely.”

Petty Officer Gonzales said now he just hopes this rescue mission serves as a good lesson for everyone who takes a boat out onto the water.

“Make sure that if you do go out, come up with a float plan,” he said. “And that could be as easy as keeping cell phone communications with a family member, or somebody responsible. And then also working with marine frequencies, make sure all your equipment works from your radio, if you have a satellite phone, make sure it’s charged.”