Biggest Catch of My Life
Capt. Sal Tardella
March 8, 2010
Sebastian - Saltwater Fishing Report
Well, the local fishing is still dreadful, with water temps remaining much too cold for this time of year.
My buddy, Rick Pino, and I went out for a scouting trip on Monday, March 1st, and we were setting up for our second drift between the Ocean and the Sebastian Inlet when Rick spotted what looked like an overturned boat. We gunned our engine closer to the boat and saw a man and woman hanging over the side, yelling for help. Another small boat joined in the rescue. We threw the two people life jackets, but the water was too rough for them to actually put them on. The third fisherman managed to get them aboard his vessel, and while this was taking place Rick noticed two legs sticking out on the other side of the sunken boat. We saw a line hanging from the boat and attached it to our stern cleat and dragged the boat several yards, after which a man's body popped up from underneath. He was face down, showing no apparent signs of life. It was difficult for us to pull him aboard, so we signaled to the third fisherman for assistance. He left his boat to its passengers (none of whom knew how to pilot the vessel) and jumped aboard my boat, and the three of us managed to bring the drowning victim aboard. He was lifeless, had no pulse, and appeared to be deceased. At this time we were in contact with the Coast Guard and other authorities who directed us to a landing spot where EMS personnel would be ready for us. From the moment we had the victim aboard (a senior citizen weighing around 200 pounds) Rick carried on recusitation efforts, not stopping until we reached our destination and the professionals took over. The man (who turned out to be 66 years old) still had no pulse; he was given immediate aid, and then (as we learned later) was flown by helicopter to Holms Regional Trauma Center in Melbourne.
When the older man was safely out of our hands we had to return to the Inlet to fetch the other vessel which carried the man's wife and son (as well as the third fisherman's friend,) and bring the mother and son back to shore for medical attention. They were taken to a local hospital in Sebastian for examination. Their injuries turned out to be minor.
As you can see, there was no time for formal introductions throughout the ordeal! As of this report, I still don't know the names of the three victims or even the name of the "third fisherman" who took part in this hectic rescue.
Talk about an adrenaline pump! Rick and I were quite shaken up by this harrowing life-or-death experience.
For two days we couldn't get any information about the man, but on March 3 we all received calls from Florida wildlife authorities who had been on the scene when we landed our boat with the victims, advising that the man survived and was expected to make a full recovery.
The fishing might stink, but we got ourselves a keeper that afternoon.
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