U.S. Navy photo by Anne Owens.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Coast Guard crews rescue two kayakers who were reported overdue offshore Corpus Christi, Saturday.
Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi command center watchstanders received a report at 11:15 a.m. from Padre Island National Seashore park rangers stating two adult members of a camping group went kayaking in the Gulf of Mexico near Mile Markers 5-10 and did not return as scheduled.
Watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and directed the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi MH-65 Dolphin Short-Range Recovery Helicopter aircrew and Coast Guard Station Port Aransas 45-foot Response Boat–Medium (RB-M) crew to search.
At 1:15 p.m., the Coast Guard Port Aransas RB-M boat crew locate and rescue the overdue kayakers about 2.5 nautical miles offshore Corpus Christi. The man and woman were wearing life jackets and waving their arms to attract the Coast Guard crew’s attention. They indicated they had drifted farther offshore than intended and were in need of assistance.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Patrick D. Kelley.
The Coast Guard Station Port Aransas crew transported the kayakers to the Packery Channel in Corpus Christi, where a family member arranged to meet them.
«Filing a float plan is one of the easiest steps you can take to prepare for the unexpected,» said Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Ortega, operations unit controller, Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi command center. «Simply tell someone on shore where you’re going and when you plan to return. We also recommend you send them a picture of your boat or kayak, which they can share with our search crews in case we need to find you.»
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