PONCE DE LEON INLET, Fla. – The Coast Guard rescued a father and son Sunday morning after the two were in the water for more than 12 hours.
Walter Marino, 46, and his son Chris Marino, 12, both from Winter Park, Fla., went swimming Saturday night when they were caught in an outgoing current and swept out to sea.
A Marino family member then called 911 for help, which was relayed to the Coast Guard. A small boat from Coast Guard Station Ponce Inlet and a helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., then launched to search for the two missing people.
The Coast Guard searched until the early Sunday morning hours and resumed searching at first light Sunday morning. The Open Range, a Good Samaritan in the area, located Walter Marino around 7:30 a.m. Sunday eight-miles east of Ponce Inlet. He was then transferred to a Coast Guard boat for transport. A Coast Guard rescue helicopter from Air Station Clearwater then located and rescued his son around 9:30 a.m. Sunday.
The two were taken to Halifax Medical Center in Daytona, Fla., in good condition.
