ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— The Coast Guard medevaced a 67-year-old man Thursday from a recreational boat 14 miles west of Bunces Pass.
At 11:01 a.m. watch standers from Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg received a call via VHF-FM marine band radio channel 16 from a crew member aboard a recreational boat. The crew member stated his friend had suffered an injury while diving and was in need of emergency medical attention.
A MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater and a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boatcrew from Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg were launched. The boatcrew arrived on scene and brought the diver aboard their vessel. The helicopter crew arrived on scene at 12:12 p.m. hoisted the man and transported him to Gulf Coast Medical Center.
“His fellow diver did an excellent job of alerting us by calling the Coast Guard at the first sign of distress,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Donna Petty, operation specialist at Sector St. Petersburg. “It’s a testament to the value of having working communications aboard your vessel in the case of distress.”
