Video shows boaters being pulled from ocean after vessel stalls miles off Outer Banks

Three boaters were forced to tread water miles off North Carolina’s Outer Banks after rescue by helicopter became their only option of escaping a disabled sailboat, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The rescue happened early Tuesday, March 7, about 3 nautical miles east of Avon on Hatteras Island, officials said in a news release.

Video released by the Coast Guard Station at Hatteras Inlet shows the 25-foot sailboat was helpless and being tossed by waves when a rescue boat arrived.

“Due to the increasing weather, an MH-60 Jayhawk from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City was dispatched to assist,” officials said.

“Once on scene, the surfman on board made the determination that towing them south towards Hatteras would prove difficult due to the sea state. A tow north on the other hand, would have been a 30 (nautical miles) to Oregon Inlet where a conditions would have deteriorated, leading to an attempt at crossing a breaking bar at night with gale conditions.”

That left one option: Each of the three mariners had to jump from the boat and tread water until they could be pulled by cable into the helicopter.

“The rescue swimmer retrieved each person from the water one at a time and was hoisted onto the helo,” the Coast Guard reported.

“Once all mariners had safely been retrieved, the helo departed scene and (the rescue boat) began making way around the Diamond shoals.”

Identities of the mariners were not revealed and the Coast Guard did not report what became of their boat.

Waters off the Outer Banks are known to be treacherous, due to their proximity to colliding north-south currents. The rescue happened not far from the Diamond Shoals, “a cluster of shifting, underwater sandbars” off Cape Hatteras.

This story was originally published March 9, 2023 at 1:34 PM with the headline "Video shows boaters being pulled from ocean after vessel stalls miles off Outer Banks."