Teens Help Coast Guard Rescue Boaters After Vessel Capsizes Off Florida Keys
Two Florida teens who were out fishing helped save several boaters, including two small children, after they spotted a capsized boat.
Florida Keys natives Mason Baker, 17, and 18-year-old Will Coffin were out fishing for yellowtail Saturday with Coffin’s uncle when they saw the overturned vessel.
The Islamorada teens weren’t sure what they’d find while they made their way over, according to the Miami Herald.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Baker told the Herald. “We realized something bad could have happened, and it might not end well.”
While en route to give whatever aide they could, the teens radioed for help, alerting U.S. Coast Guard Station Islamorada to the situation.
Once at the boat, the teens and Coffin’s uncle, David Tolhurst, found five adults, a 4-year-old boy and an infant clinging to a capsized 23-foot boat off the coast of Plantation Key.
When they arrived on the scene a half hour later, the Coast Guard crew airlifted the 3-month-old to EMS services in case of ingestion of salt water. No other injuries were reported.
Coast Guard officials commended the boys, who are both seniors at Coral Shores High School in Tavernier and headed to Florida Atlantic University together in the fall.