Fishermen Tread Water for Over 4 Hours Before Being Rescued After Boat Sinks During Fishing Competition

Three fishermen treaded water for over four hours after their boat sank during a fishing competition.

The incident occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, 30 miles off the coast of Dauphin Island, Alabama . Life jackets and five watercoolers helped keep the men afloat in the 80-degree water.

Easton Barrett says he decided to film a message to his loved ones in case he drowned.

“It was just a video to my mom and loved ones because I didn’t know we was gonna get saved,” Barrett tells Inside Edition.

Barrett’s friend and fellow fisherman Steven Maulding says they have no idea why their boat sank.

“Everything was going great until the second it wasn’t going great,” Maulding says. “Within 45 seconds, the boat was gone, completely gone, underwater.”

The fisherman had a personal locator beacon, which is a device that alerts the Coast Guard in the event of an emergency. After four hours spent treading water and clinging to their coolers, the men were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard.

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