Birthday celebration almost turned into tragedy: 4 people drifted in the ocean for 20 hours

(Dan Tri) - A family of three generations was rescued by the US Coast Guard after nearly 20 hours drifting at sea and clinging to a capsized boat off the coast of Clearwater city (Florida state, USA).

A three-generation family including Mr. Dennis Woods (70 years old), his uncle Mr. Clarence Woods (90 years old), Cris Harding Sr. (42 years old) and Cris Harding Jr. (18 years old) left the Seminole Street pier at 9:30 a.m. on November 24 to go fishing to celebrate a birthday.

However, around 12-1pm, the 7.6m long boat named Money Well Wasted of this group suddenly had water flood one side and capsized.

“By the time we realized it, it had capsized in less than five minutes. I didn’t have time to contact the coast guard. We just thought we had to give the life jackets to the 90-year-old man and the 18-year-old boy first. My life jacket got stuck so I had to give it away,” Dennis said.

As night fell, the high waves and cold took their toll. Dennis spent most of his time trying to support his frail uncle, who had repeatedly slipped and fallen. The family saw the Coast Guard helicopters searching through the night, but were unable to signal them.

Three-generation family drifting at sea (Photo: People).

“They really thought they were not going to survive,” Dennis’s sister, Teresa Rucker, told the media. She said the group prayed constantly, and Clarence sang to keep their spirits up. She also admitted that the group’s survival at sea during that time was a miracle.

At about 7:15 a.m. on November 25, a U.S. Coast Guard seaplane spotted the Woods family clinging to the capsized boat, about 30 miles off Clearwater Pass. At that time, the sea was 2-3 feet high and the wind was blowing at 5-10 knots.

“The 90-year-old man was on the edge of the boat, we were very worried. The boat was almost submerged, but they still managed to hold on, this is very lucky,” said the rescue worker.

Rescuers arrived and brought all four people safely aboard, wrapped them in towels to keep them warm, and provided them with water and electrolytes. “The first words they said were thank you,” the rescuer said.

According to relatives, the family usually went fishing and returned at 4pm. When they were not seen by 8:30pm, the family immediately called the police and discovered their car was still at the dock.

The boat before it capsized (Photo: People).

Four people were taken to the police station, dehydrated and hypothermic. Clarence suffered several lacerations. Three remained in the hospital overnight, but Cris Harding Sr. was released the same day.

Despite the ordeal, Cris Harding Sr. remained cheerful. “He even told everyone that before the accident, he caught a shark that was almost 2 meters long,” Teresa Rucker said with a laugh.

As for Mr. Dennis - the main character of the unfinished birthday party - the joy returned when he set foot on land: "It was truly a memorable birthday. Now I find it wonderful."

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/tiet-muc-mung-sinh-nhat-suyt-thanh-tham-kich-4-nguoi-troi-giua-bien-20-gio-20251202110517666.htm