USGC, FWC rescue missing divers 30 miles off Hudson
HUDSON (FOX 13) - The second of two men who were separated from their boat Wednesday has been rescued by crews from FWC.
A video released by the U.S. Coast Guard Wednesday shows one of the men, 34-year-old Michael Pavlich being hoisted into an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter.
He and 57-year-old Terry Hayes went missing around 4 o'clock Wednesday.
The Jayhawk crew located Pavlich around 8:30 that night 30 miles west of Hudson. They pulled him into the helicopter with no reported injuries.
It wasn't until Thursday morning when Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) crews found Hayes.
He was wearing buoyancy gear, which is possibly what saved him, USCG officials said.
"We're really blessed here, because I can tell you, to locate a person in water is not easy," USCG Commander Bill Walsh explained. "From a helicopter, from a small boat, treading water... it's not easy."
Hayes was rescued by FWC crews in their 85-foot offshore patrol vessel, the Gulf Sentry.