Along the beach at Hilton
Head Island, it was a moderately windy morning, and with it, choppy ocean
waters, making distant visibility between the waves, intermittent, at best. Near 10 AM, a beach-goer reported seeing something
far out in the water. Perhaps just a pelican flapping its wings, as a number of
them had been seen flying around. To be
certain, the beach patrol began to search, and Coast Guard Station Tybee
launched a rescue boat. After responders
spoke further with the observing party, finding no one, apparently, missing
from shore, and with those out looking coming-up empty, the decision was made
to begin a stand-down.
Meanwhile, Coast Guard Air
Station Savannah had already launched a rescue helicopter and four-man crew to
join in the search, learning, while underway, that ground responders had
concluded, no evidence to the contrary, that what had been observed, was most
likely, just a pelican taking flight, and with it, the case was declared
closed.
Regardless, the Savannah-based
flight crew continued its search for whatever might still be out there. Then, in a classic case of training, skill
and seasoned-instinct, crew members spotted, not a pelican, but a person, down there
in the water, over a mile out from shore!
While hovered over-head, the team's rescue swimmer went into the water, secured
the individual, then both were hoisted up and on-board. Understandably frightened and exhausted, but
otherwise OK, this 51-year-old female-resident of Hilton Head had been out for
a morning run, then went for a quick swim to cool off, when rip-currents caught
her, and pulled her well out to sea. Without the persistence of the Savannah
Coast Guard team, continuing to search even after declaration of a false alarm,
there's no question, this woman would've perished. Perhaps a typical day for our quiet Coast
Guard heroes. Far from it for a dear
lady, blessed with a life-renewed.
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