Missing Oklahoma couple miraculously found alive after 38 hours floating in the Gulf of Mexico

A missing Oklahoma couple who vanished off the coast of Texas were found alive after a grueling 38-hour search that had family and friends fearing the worst

Nathan and Kim Maker disappeared after diving into the Gulf of Mexico, prompting the US Coast Guard to initiate a massive 36-hour search that stretched 1,600 miles. “People don’t survive that and not have a story to tell,” said Lisa Shearin, a diver who was on the boat with the couple.

The pair were stranded in the water for 38 hours, drifting along the Gulf waiting to be rescued. They reportedly went diving with a few others off the Texas coast .

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One on the boat said the others made it back safely, but noticed Nathan and Kim floating away. They attempted to jump back into the water to save their companions but was thwarted by the heavy rain. “The rain was so hard that you couldn’t see outside,” Shearin said. “It stormed and the winds were atrocious, the waves were atrocious.”

“A huge swell comes in and engulfs Kim and Nathan totally. When the swell rolls out, they’re nowhere to be found,” said Charles Owen, a relative of the couple. Other divers immediately dived back into the water in search of their friends. “It wasn’t like, 'Hey guys, do you have anything better to do tomorrow?' It was like, no we’re staying out and we’re looking,” Shearin said.

The search was yielding nothing, so they eventually got out the water and alerted the US Coast Guard who took over the search. About 24 hours into the search, family members began fearing the worst. “We determined that we were probably going to end the search this morning if they didn’t find anything last night,” Owen said.

Family members said they'd sat together and prayed for Nathan and Kim's safe return. It seemed their wish was granted as the lost pair spotted a plane flying over the Gulf of Mexico. “They take their dive flashlights and start signaling their SOS signal to that plane, that plane saw them,” Owen said.

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Just eight hours before the search would be officially called off, a ship was sent to scoop up the couple and bring them to safety. “It was God performing a miracle using the Coast Guard’s eyes and ears and their technology, and that’s what saved them at the last minute,” Owen said.

The couple recalled feeling intense senses of uncertainty as a storm raged over them for hours on end. “Even when the swell came over, they found them together,” Owen said. “They have a greater purpose, obviously. God truly did spare them,” Shearin said.