KAPOLEI, Hawaii, Aug. 11 (Ben Hooper) — The U.S. Coast Guard shared video of the hoisting rescue of three men and a dog stranded on an inflatable raft after their boat sank.
The Coast Guard said an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew was dispatched Sunday from Air Station Barbers Point after a mayday call came in about 12:44 p.m. about a 70-foot catamaran sinking about 41 miles northeast of Oahu’s North Shore.
The video posted to YouTube shows the “four survivors,” three men and a dog, being hoisted from their life raft to the Coast Guard helicopter.
Officials said the boaters were prepared for disaster, making their rescue easier.
“In other rescues we’ve done in the past, a lot of them weren’t prepared for the event,” U.S. Coast Guard pilot Lt. Ron Green told WIVB-TV. “They don’t use precautions around big surf, no life jackets, marine band radios. Because of that, this rescue was much easier.”
