Watch dramatic rescue of man clinging to cooler miles off Florida after surviving Hurricane Milton at sea

LONGBOAT KEY, FLORIDA: A Florida man reportedly found himself in a harrowing life-or-death situation after Hurricane Milton left him stranded at sea.

The sailor, identified as Captain Dave, was rescued approximately 30 miles off the coast of Longboat Key after spending nearly 24 hours adrift, clinging to a cooler, the Daily Beast reported.

Hurricane Milton tore through Gulf of Mexico, bringing destruction and danger 

The dramatic rescue unfolded after the powerful Category 3 storm wreaked havoc along Florida's Gulf Coast earlier this week, with winds reaching 120 mph, causing severe flooding, and knocking out power to thousands.

With tornadoes, torrential rain, and surging tides, the storm left behind extensive flooding and chaotic scenes across Florida's west coast.

The storm’s impact was so severe that rescue operations were in full swing as soon as the hurricane subsided, including the rescue of a 14-year-old boy found clinging to debris in floodwaters near Tampa.

The boy’s rescue was just one of many examples of the ongoing efforts to save those trapped by the storm. However, the story of Dave stands out due to the extreme conditions he endured.

According to the US Coast Guard, Dave’s ordeal began when his fishing boat became disabled off Madeira Beach, Florida, on the day before the hurricane’s landfall.

As the storm intensified, the captain and his crew faced the terrifying prospect of being stuck at sea in the middle of a hurricane.

Nicole Groll, a spokesperson for the US Coast Guard, confirmed to The Guardian that Dave had been adrift for nearly 24 hours after his boat was rendered immobile.

The initial distress call came on Monday afternoon when Captain Dave notified the US Coast Guard Sector St Petersburg that his vessel was disabled about 20 miles off the coast of John's Pass.

A swift response from a rescue boat crew and a helicopter from Air Station Clearwater ensured that Dave and his crew members were safely rescued and brought back to land. However, their vessel was left adrift as the storm approached.

Coast Guard team spotted Captain Dave clinging to a large cooler

Despite being rescued, Dave was not ready to give up on his boat. He contacted the Coast Guard again on Wednesday, reporting that he planned to return to his vessel to attempt a salvage operation.

By that time, the storm was rapidly worsening, and conditions at sea had become treacherous, with 6 to 8-foot waves and winds of up to 30 mph battering the region.

As Dave made his way back to the boat, he found himself facing a new set of challenges. The rudder of the vessel became entangled with a line, disabling the boat once again.

The Coast Guard advised Dave to put on his life jacket and remain close to the boat’s emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB), a device that helps rescuers locate vessels in distress.

However, contact with Dave was lost at around 6:45 pm that evening as communication systems failed, adding to the growing uncertainty about his fate.

The Coast Guard acted swiftly, launching both airplane and helicopter search missions from Air Station Clearwater and Air Station Miami in the early hours of the next morning.

The search stretched across vast areas of the storm-ravaged sea as crews worked tirelessly to locate the missing captain.

After hours of searching in dangerous conditions, the Coast Guard team from Air Station Miami finally spotted Dave in an unimaginable situation.

He was clinging to a large cooler, the only object keeping him afloat in the churning waters. By the time they found him, it was around 1:30 pm on Thursday, nearly a full day after he had become stranded again at sea.

According to officials, Dave was in rough shape but alive. He was airlifted from the cooler and rushed to Tampa General Hospital for further medical care. His survival was nothing short of a miracle as the conditions he faced would have been deadly for most people.