PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Coast Guard officials rescued a man out of the Anclote Island mangroves Sunday after he was unable to refloat his personal watercraft.
A helicopter rescued the man who was suffering from dehydration and transported him to a hospital.
He told officials that he grounded the watercraft, and when he was unable to refloat it, tried to go find his friends on the other side of the island for help. He then became fatigued.
Around 7 p.m., Pasco County Sheriff marine unit officers reported an overdue personal watercraft user to Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders. A friend had told officers that the survivor was in the area and late by an hour.
"The Pasco County Sheriff's helicopter spotted the person in the mangroves and vectored us in," said Lt. Garrett Hendrickson, the Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater Jayhawk helicopter pilot on scene. "It is because of our partnerships with the sheriff's office and the regular training we do together that the survivor was rescued safely and quickly."
