911 call proves a lifesaver

5 of 6 fishermen survive capsize

Six men plucked from the Atlantic Ocean after their boat sank during a night fishing trip off the coast of Fort Lauderdale were brought to shore, the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday.

One of the men who was not conscious and was given CPR died. He was identified by the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office as Michael Macosterlin, 68, of North Miami Beach.

The rescue of the men — whose 26-foot, center-console pleasure craft sank 1 to 2 miles east of Port Everglades — was a team effort by a Broward Sheriff ’s helicopter, the Coast Guard, private vessels and TowBoatU.S., a marine towing and salvage company, responders said.

The Coast Guard in Miami got the initial call at about 10 p.m. Wednesday of a vessel with six aboard that was taking on water.

Responders had to maneuver in the dark, through choppy seas of 2 to 3 feet with some whitecaps, to help the men, who could not communicate in English, said Capt. Cole Sisler of TowBoatU.S.

The men who lost their boat had to cope with fear, harsh elements and fading hope.

Before the boat sank, one of the men called 911. He was lucky — cellphones often don’t work offshore.

“If that one person didn’t call 911 when he did, and no other vessels saw them 2 miles at sea with winds and currents fighting you, they very well may not have made it,” Sisler said. “It was luck mixed with a little bit of good thinking on their end to call 911 and let someone know

“There were six people out there treading water, fully clothed, and the water there was approximately 70 feet deep.” Cole Sisler, TowBoatU.S. captain

something was going on out there.”

Sometimes a boat will capsize and those aboard can cling to it until help arrives. But that wasn’t what happened Wednesday night. The boat vanished quickly beneath the waves, leaving the men adrift for about half an hour, according to Sisler.

“There [were] hatches and trash and one cooler, I believe, but nothing to keep six people afloat,” Sisler said. “There were six people out there treading water, fully clothed, and the water there was approximately 70 feet deep.

“They must have been frightened. Their lives changed in a moment and with wet cellphones, they had no means of communication.”

Another thing that worked in favor of the stranded men: The sheriff’s helicopter had a strong spotlight and specialty gear.

“Broward Sheriff’s Air Rescue 85 has infrared that can pick up the men’s heat signatures emanating from their bodies, and that helped tremendously as well,” Sisler said. “When you don’t have a life jacket and are floating and treading water, rescuers are looking for the equivalent of a floating coconut.”

The Coast Guard dispatched a boat from Fort Lauderdale.

“TowBoat, the BSO helicopter and two good Samaritan vessels were already there and had rescued four from the sinking vessel” when the Coast Guard arrived, Woodall said. “The U.S. Coast Guard rescued two more men from the water.”

The voices of the desperate men could be heard above the wind and roar from rescuers’ boat engines.

"We heard the yelling from one guy and then another and we pulled them out of the water,” TowBoatU.S. Capt. Dominic Keenan said. “One was perfectly healthy but the other, when we reached him, was unresponsive so I started CPR.”

Coast Guard personnel joined the TowBoatU.S. crew to perform CPR until they arrived at the 15th Street docks, where Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue paramedics were waiting. All the men were taken to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale. Macosterlin was dead on arrival, Woodall said.

It was not known Thursday why the boat sank, officials said.