WATCH: Man and his dog rescued from stormy sea during Hurricane Helene

SANIBEL ISLAND, Fla. (WJW) — Dramatic video shared by the U.S. Coast Guard shows the moment a man and his dog were pulled from choppy waters as Hurricane Helene approached Florida Thursday.

The rescue happened off Sanibel Island, Florida .

According to the Coast Guard, the man and his dog were in sailboat that became disabled and eventually started to take on water.

With grey skies and and unsettled sea in the background, the video shows the man and his dog, both wearing life jackets, jump off the boat into the choppy sea.

They then load themselves into a basket that was dropped into the water and are airlifted to safety into the Coast Guard helicopter.

Hurricane Helene made landfall Thursday night as a Category 4 storm leading to catastrophic flooding and damage. It has since been downgraded to a tropical storm.

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