EDISTO BEACH, S.C.
— Three individuals were rescued Wednesday morning after spending the night clinging to an overturned boat near Otter Island, located off South Carolina’s coast. The group reportedly endured hours in the water before drifting onto a shallow sandbar.
The incident occurred Tuesday evening when their vessel capsized. Without immediate access to help, the boaters remained with the overturned hull throughout the night.
Early Morning Call for Help
Around
6 a.m.
, one of the stranded individuals was able to retrieve a
cell phone from a waterproof pouch
and place a call to 911. The
Edisto Beach Fire Department
responded, deploying
Marine 14
to the location.
Due to shallow water, the boat could not approach the stranded group directly.
Captain Kizer
waded 75 yards across the flats to reach them, while
Chief Conley
assisted from the vessel.
Details of the response were confirmed by
WYFF News 4
, which also noted the quick action of local rescue crews.
Emergency Services Provide Aid
One of the boaters had recently undergone surgery and was unable to walk. The other two showed signs of
mild exposure
from overnight wind and water conditions. A
U.S. Coast Guard helicopter
was dispatched to lift the immobile individual to a landing zone at the
north end of Edisto Beach
.
Colleton County Fire-Rescue
then transported the patient to a nearby hospital. The other two boaters were returned to shore via
Marine 14
and reunited with their vehicle at
Bennetts Point
.
Have you ever experienced a boating emergency along South Carolina’s coast? Share your story or safety advice with our newsroom at
SaludaStandard-Sentinel.com/contact
— your insight could help prevent future tragedies.
