What started out as a fun fishing trip for a father and son dup, quickly turned deadly when their boat hit rocks out from Boston Harbor. There was just one thing that two could hold onto, their water cooler.
According to Good Morning America, the two were enjoying an end-of-summer lobster fishing trip when their boat began sinking after hitting a rock. Patrolling officers from the Boston Harbor police unit received a call about a sinking ship. On arriving at the location they could not find the two but managed to spot a turquoise cooler, on which a pair of life-preservers were dangling.
It had already been 15 minutes since the two had been in the frigid Atlantic waters which had almost caused them to enter hypothermia. Thankfully, they were rescued just in time, and the dramatic rescue was caught on the officers’ body camera.
In the footage, the son can be seen requesting the police to help his father before him. Although it seemed like a simple rescue mission where the two just had to be pulled onto a boat it was much more intense than that. Having been immersed in the chilly water, their muscles had become tense.
“You want to get them in the boat as quickly as possible. And you may think oh they’re right there, we have them… take your time getting them in the boat. But you take one big gulp of water and you can sink,” explained one officer.
The duo was ultimately pulled out of the water and they appeared to be worse for wear. On reaching the shore, they were checked by EMS who cleared them. As for the cooler, which ultimately saved their lives, it may have been set aside for a different adventure.