Hurricane Milton: Coast Guard rescues man clinging to cooler miles off Gulf Coast

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a man, clinging to a cooler, miles off Florida’s Gulf Coast on Thursday.

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The man was about 30 miles from Longboat Key, Coast Guard officials said.

Officials said they had been in contact with the man, who was not identified, Wednesday night before Hurricane Milton made landfall, but lost contact at about 6:56 p.m. ET.

The man, who was the captain of a fishing boat that became disabled before the storm, and another man had to be rescued by helicopter on Monday. The boat was left adrift and to be salvaged.

On Wednesday, the captain returned to the boat to make repairs and the owner of the vessel alerted the Coast Guard once the captain didn’t check in with him.

Rescue crews contacted the man who said the boat had a problem with the rudder. Coast Guard members told him to put on a life jacket, grab his emergency beacon and brace for the hurricane.

“This man survived in a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner,” Lt. Cmdr. Dana Grady said.

The Coast Guard said that the man survived 75 to 90 mph winds and 20 to 25-foot seas overnight before he was rescued Thursday afternoon.

He was wearing a life jacket and had an emergency position indicating locator beacon and a cooler, all, according to Grady, helped save his life.

The man was taken to Tampa General Hospital for treatment, officials said.