Dramatic US Coast Guard video captures the daring rescue of five people and their pet pup who were stranded when their boat ran aground on a rocky stretch of a South Carolina barrier island on Sunday.
Coast Guard officials said they got a call about 2 p.m. that a crew of boaters were stuck on a section of Fripp Island after their 23-foot craft got stuck on the rocks, according a press release.
The agency dispatched an MH-65 Dolphin chopper from the Savannah air station, which lowered a crew member and a stretcher, pulling everyone to safety aboard the helicopter.
The US Coast Guard received a report of five people and their dog stranded on Fripp Island off the coast of South Carolina on Sunday and sent a rescue chopper. United States Coast Guard
The Coast Guard, helped by an airboat crew, pulled five people and their dog to safety on Sunday. United States Coast Guard
Fripp Island is a barrier island on the South Carolina coast that includes a resort — and a rocky shore in parts. Alamy Stock Photo
“Due to the high number of people, this turned out to be a fairly complex evolution that requires multiple trips to the vessel in distress,” Lt. Commander Carl Luxhoj, aircraft commander of the station, said.
“Our crew did a great job of managing aircraft weight and power margin to conduct the hoists,” Luxhoj added. “Due to the impressive range of tides in the Lowcountry region, we recommend all mariners check tides and currents before going out on the water.”
The Coast Guard said a two-member airboat from Beaufort County Marine Rescue was also dispatched to the stranded boat and helped in the rescue from the ground.
A golf course on Fripp Island in South Carolina. Alamy Stock PhotoThe rescued boaters were flown to Beaufort Executive Airport and no injuries were reported.
The stranded boat and the airboat were both later recovered by the marine rescue group.
