Boater rescued after trying to bail water from his boat using a cup

TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. - A boater was rescued after calling for help and trying to bail water out of his boat using a cup.

The Coast Guard said the man's boat began to take on water Thursday afternoon 12 miles west of John's Pass.

He sent a mayday call that was received by Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, and when a crew from Air Station Clearwater arrived, they saw him using the plastic cup to bail out the rising water because his pump had stopped working.

The air crew lowered a dewatering pump to him, along with a rescue swimmer. The water was just a half inch from the boats batteries, the Coast Guard said, and if the boat stopped moving, the man would have been in the water.

The man was rescued with help from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office marine unit and Coast Guard Station Sand Key. "Quick thinking and interagency coordination greatly contributed to saving this mariner's life," said Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Silvious.