The U.S. Coast Guard worked with Puerto Rican police to rescue three federal agents and two other people after two boats capsized off Puerto Rico’s “Goat Island.” The operation, which unfolded in rough seas in darkness, was captured on video.
The Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action notified Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector San Juan of a capsized vessel off the coast of the islet at 9:05 p.m. Tuesday, the Coast Guard said in a news release.
The watchstanders issued a broadcast alerting other boats in the area, and dispatched a 45-foot Coast Guard response boat and a Jayhawk helicopter. A Customs and Border Protection Caribbean Air and Marine Branch marine unit and a Puerto Rico police helicopter also responded, the Coast Guard said.
Shortly after the assets were dispatched, a “Good Samaritan” reported seeing the 22-foot vessel, the Coast Guard said. They confirmed it was capsized and said two people were holding on to it. The reporter was able to provide a position for the responding assets. The Puerto Rican police helicopter was able to fly over the site.
As the CBP marine unit approached, it was met with 10-foot swells, the Coast Guard said. In the rough waves, the marine unit capsized and three agents were thrown into the water.
The Coast Guard response boat attempted to reach the agents and the boaters, but were unable to due to the sea conditions and location of the original capsized vessel. The Puerto Rican police helicopter crew was able to rescue one boater and one agent and transport them to the island.
When the Coast Guard’s Jayhawk helicopter arrived on scene, a rescue swimmer was lowered into the ocean. The swimmer was able to rescue the remaining two agents and boater.
All five survivors were transported to the Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard said. First responders treated the survivors for minor injuries.
Lt. David Tirado-Tolosa, the Jayhawk helicopter aircraft commander, said that the rescue was made possible thanks to an “excellent team effort.” He said the “quick actions” of the Puerto Rican police and CBP unit “allowed for constant eyes on all five people in the water and their prompt rescue.”
“We are very glad everyone made it home safely, as this could have easily had a different outcome,” Tirado-Tolosa said.
Goat Island, or Isla de Cabras, is a small islet in the middle of the mouth of San Juan Bay. It was once connected to the main island by a narrow, submerged sandbank, leading to its identification as an island, but the shoal was landfilled in the 1940s, making it accessible. The island is surrounded by reefs and shoals, and is home to several historical sites, parks and viewpoints.
