INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Audio of a 911 call about a boat with three men aboard that had capsized in the ocean near the Sebastian Inlet was released Friday.
The incident was reported about 5:30 p.m. Thursday, and 30 minutes later, pilots Tommy Byrd and Ted Lightle from the Sheriff’s Department Aviation Unit spotted three men hanging onto the boat in the water.
The 18-foot boat was overtaken by rough seas and capsized about a half-mile offshore.
“An 18-foot boat is probably too small to be out in those type of seas,” Sheriff’s Lt. Thom Raulen said. “They probably weren’t aware of the conditions.”
People on the beach were able to see the incident from shore and called 911.
“Since the 911 callers had a visual on the boat, it was easier for them to direct our dispatchers to tell the pilots exactly where to go, which helped in locating them,” Raulen said.
911 Audio Recording
The aviation unit threw a life raft from the helicopter, and the men were able to quickly inflate it by pulling a lever, which caused the raft to self-inflate, Raulen said. The men used the raft to make it safely to shore under helicopter escort, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The three rescued men are Darwyn Robinson, 53, John Bridgeman, 50, and Robert Robinson, 33, all of Palm Bay, Raulen said.
The life raft that saved three men whose boat capsized in the Sebastian Inlet.
There are two main ways that a life raft can be deployed during a rescue mission. The pilots can throw the raft and have it inflate on its way down, or just throw the raft in the water.
“The (pilots) hold the inflate cord as they throw the raft and it inflates as it falls,” Raulen said. “They either let go of the cord or it breaks away from the raft.”
“Because of the rough seas and winds, they decided to just throw the raft to the men in the water,” Raulen said. “They didn’t want the raft to float away.”
This video was taken after the life raft was deployed. Provided by the Sheriff’s Office.
Boat capsizes in Sebastian Inlet
On 10/12/17 the Sheriff's Office received a call about a vessel that was sinking in the Sebastian Inlet. The boat ended up capsizing and the three parties on board went into the water. The Sheriff's Office helicopter crew responded and were able to drop an inflatable raft to the subjects and they were able to climb aboard. Attached is some video taken from the helicopter after the raft had been deployed.
Posted by Indian River County Sheriff's Office on Friday, October 13, 2017
