CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Coast Guard air and boat crews, along with a good Samaritan, quickly responded to two men and a woman who were stranded on a platform 2 miles offshore Wednesday, just east of the Mayan Princess Condominiums.
One of the kayakers called Coast Guard Station Port Aransas at about 9:50 a.m. to request assistance. He reported that one of their two kayaks had taken on water and they needed help. The request was passed to the Sector Corpus Christi command center watchstanders, who quickly diverted a helicopter and boat crew who were in training nearby.
The crew of the Air Station Corpus Christi MH-65 Dolphin helicopter located the kayakers quickly and vectored the Station Port Aransas 45-foot response boat crew to their location, less than 10 minutes from the initial call. The boat crew recovered all three kayakers in good condition and took them back to the station.
In addition to the Coast Guard crews training nearby, Capt. Tommy Shields and the crew of the offshore supply vessel Lady Becky happened to be taking someone out to visually inspect the platform where the kayakers had tied up. They arrived about the same time as the Coast Guard crews and recovered one of the kayaks and a small outboard motor.
"We are very glad these mariners thought to contact the Coast Guard when they were in distress, had a form of communication, and knew who to call to get assistance," said Lt. j.g. Meghan Daleiden, a sector command center watchstander. "Getting notification to the Coast Guard as soon as possible could save your life."