5 rescued after boat sinks off coast near Egmont Key: USCG

Coast Guard saves 5 boaters off Egmont Key

A Mayday call off Egmont Key ended in a rescue for the Coast Guard after five boaters were saved from their sinking boat. FOX 13's Danielle Zulkosky reports.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Five people were saved after a boat sank early Friday morning, approximately 28 miles west of Egmont Key, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

At around 3:34 a.m., the Coast Guard in St. Petersburg received multiple mayday calls from a caller reporting that their boat with five people on board was taking on water, preparing them to abandon the vessel in life jackets.

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What they're saying:

"The boaters' quick decision in donning life jackets and issuing a mayday call gave our crews the critical information and best chances of rescuing them," Ensign Gaige Garrett, an operations unit controller at Sector St. Petersburg command center, said. "With water temperatures dropping across most of Florida, we urge boaters to dress appropriately for the weather and carry the required safety equipment for their vessel when going out to sea."

The U.S. Coast Guard quickly responded and sent out a helicopter and rescue ship. The crew on that boat coordinated with the helicopter to rescue all five people from the Gulf. 

Frank Toscano is a Machinery Technician Third Class in the Coast Guard.

"It's a very fast paced job," said Toscano. "You have to be used to the fast paced."

5 rescued after boat sinks off Florida coast

Five people were saved after a boat sank Friday morning off the Florida coast.

Toscano said being part of a rescuing crew keeps him coming back day after day for a stressful job.

"It's very rewarding to be able to hear that and know that we were able to be there in someone's worst case scenario," said Toscano."

He said no two days are alike.

"We could be picking someone up out of the water and then next thing you know, there's a boat fire and next thing you know, there's a stolen boat," said Toscano.

This call came in the middle of the night, making the rescue even more difficult.

"Limited visibility with it being dark out," said Toscano. "So as we were going in, we could see the [helicopter] above shining a light down on the people, which helped a lot."

Big picture view:

The boaters quickly put on their life jackets. The Coast Guard said this was a life-saving measure.

"That plays a huge role in someone's survival and especially that they had other people around them," said Toscano. "They can kind of huddle up in the water, create a little bit of warm water between them."

Toscano said it is important to remember this can happen to anyone.

"You never know when something is going to happen, whether it's from your own actions or something random could just happen to you," said Toscano.

Toscano said when they got the boaters on the ship they helped treat them for hypothermia-like symptoms.

The boaters are in stable condition and received medical care at Tierra Verde Marina.