Missing Florida boater is dramatically rescued after ‘struggling to stay alive’ for 38 hours in partially submerged 12ft boat while sharks stalked his drifting vessel 12 miles out to sea
- Charles Gregory was out on early morning fishing trip off coast of St. Augustine
A fisherman was rescued after struggling to stay alive for 38 hours in a partially submerged 12ft boat while sharks stalked the drifting vessel.
Charles Gregory, 25, was out on a routine early morning fishing trip on Friday off the coast of St. Augustine in Florida, when a wave crashed against his tiny jon boat and flung him into the water.
Once he had managed to get back on board, the tide carried him out and Charles gripped on to the vessel for hours on end, sighting sharks and being stung by jellyfish as he battled the intense heat.
‘He was scared to death,’ his father, Raymond Gregory, told CNN Sunday.
‘He said he’s had more conversations with God in that 30 hours than he’s had his whole life.’
Charles Gregory, 25, (pictured in rescue footage) was out on a routine early morning fishing trip on Friday off the coast of St. Augustine in Florida, when a wave crashed against his tiny jon boat and flung him into the water
Other than being severely sunburned, Charles did not suffer from any serious injuries
During the struggle, Charles frantically tried to keep the vessel afloat, even removing the motor to try to stop it from toppling over.
He also tried taking off his swimming trunks to flag down nearby boats and aircraft, his father said.
At night, suffering heavily from sunburn, he battled against the wind in freezing cold conditions.
On Saturday morning, a HC-130 Hercules airplane aircrew discovered Charles around 12 miles offshore in his boat.
Video released by the Coast Guard shows Charles sitting in the middle of the boat with his feet under the water.
After the plane located him, a small raft is seen coming beside Charles and assisting him from his partially submerged boat.
He was transferred him to the shore, where he shared a touching reunion with his family.
Footage shows the lobster red 25-year-old being stretchered while his blubbering mum thanks the coast guard and fire recue teams.
Charles is now resting at home, dehydrated, exhausted and suffering from Rhabdomyolysis, a condition involving the rapid dissolution of damaged or injured skeletal muscle.
