Man called 911 from a flooding sailboat at 4 a.m. Hours later, a Coast Guard swimmer tore open the cabin roof
'When there’s no way in, you make one'
Trapped below in chest-deep floodwaters was a sailor who had spent the last few hours struggling to breathe. It wasn’t until 4 am that the lone sailor’s desperate signal had reached the guards while he was stranded in the battering sea. What followed was a race against time. With a violent screech, the Coast Guard rescue swimmer ripped open the sailboat’s cabin roof near Coronado, California, and within approximately 3 hours, he was out of danger, the United States Coast Guard News reported on October 11, 2026.
Urgent call for rescue
It was 4 am on Sunday when the Joint Harbor Operations Center watchstanders received a 911 call from a sailboat. The man said his sailboat was sinking and water was flooding inside. A boat crew from Coast Guard Station San Diego was dispatched to locate the vessel, which they did pretty quickly. But due to extremely shallow water and hazardous conditions, they couldn’t rescue the sailor yet. Then an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew was dispatched to the boat. It lowered Petty Officer 2nd Class Mike Antoon, an aviation survival technician, to assist.
Partially-submerged sailboat cabin
Before his eyes, Antoon, dressed in an orange uniform and a safety helmet, witnessed a dreadful scene. Inside a partially submerged cabin, the sailor was sinking deep. As the cabin became flooded with water, the man was struggling to breathe. Antoon tore off the cabin’s roof to free him and gave the man his snorkel.
Unlucky day
The waters in San Diego are typically suitable for sailors, with waves reaching moderately high swells and balmy autumn winds. But in mid-October this year, the mountains got cooler, which gave rise to cold winds and dangerous rip currents. The surf was predicted to reach three to six feet, bringing breaking waves, per 10News. Also, lately, San Diego has been experiencing heavy rains and thunderstorms, stirring expectations of a tornado, per the San Diego Union-Tribune. The sailor happened to be in the sea on an unfortunate day.
Besides, the incident comes amid hundreds of boating emergencies across California each year. In 2024, the state recorded 479 recreational boating incidents, resulting in 214 injuries and 47 deaths. The rescue also highlights how quickly flooding aboard a vessel can become deadly. In 2024, the U.S. Coast Guard recorded 262 recreational boating incidents involving swamping, resulting in 57 deaths and 72 injuries. Groundings accounted for another 394 incidents that year.
Rescue successful
In this case, around 7:25 am, the helicopter crew transported the man to Coast Guard Sector San Diego, where he was taken for emergency medical services. “I’m incredibly fortunate enough to be able to do this job,” said Antoon. “This morning was a culmination of everyone working smoothly as a crew, including the sector getting us there in time, and a bit of good fortune," he added. On Facebook, the Go Coast Guard wrote, “When there’s no way in, you make one.”
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