A mother who vanished while paddleboarding with her family off the Florida coast during a thunderstorm on July 9 has been rescued, the U.S. Coast Guard reported.
The Coast Guard was notified shortly after 10:30 a.m. after a paddleboarder lost sight of his wife due to the bad weather.
“Levy County Sheriff’s Office dispatch contacted Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders at 10:41 a.m., reporting that a paddleboarder lost sight of his wife and had to beach himself and his child on Dog Island due to inclement weather,” according to the Coast Guard press release.
The Coast Guard located the missing mother approximately 20 minutes later, after which she was reunited with her husband and child.
“We were scanning the water with binoculars when we spotted the bright orange life jacket she was wearing,” Petty Officer 3rd Class Elizabeth Knight said.
“She appeared to be exhausted from paddling against the weather and once she saw us she waved her paddle in the air and started calling for help,” she added.
“A Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team St. Petersburg boat crew located the missing mother around 11 a.m., retrieved the father and child, and transported them to Cedar Key Boat Ramp,” as per the release.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
Capt. Michael P. Kahle, commander of Sector St. Petersburg, expressed gratitude for the Coast Guard team’s quick response.
“Regardless of their assigned task Coast Guard crews are always ready to save mariners at sea,” Capt. Kahle said in the release.
“In this case, while conducting routine maintenance, our aids to navigation team was able to assist in the rescue of a paddleboarder who was believed to be in distress. I want to thank our Coast Guard men and women conducting aids to navigation duties nationwide, and I’m glad that our crews were able to reunite this mother with her husband and child.”
The Coast Guard warns of constantly changing weather, particularly during Hurricane season, which started at the beginning of last month.
In early June, eight people were rescued after their boat capsized around 30 miles west of Boca Grande, Florida. No one was injured in the incident.
Another incident involving a missing paddleboarder occurred a few weeks later when a man went missing near Miami on June 24. The search for the man was suspended three days later, and the Coast Guard said the man was presumed dead.
Mariners are urged to monitor weather changes by visiting https://www.noaa.gov/weather to view the local weather forecast before embarking on a boating trip.