Stranded Couple and 4 Dogs Rescued After Getting Lost in Everglades: 'Like a Needle in a Needle Stack'

Anna Lazarus Caplan
·2 min read
1

The couple called authorities who were then able to pinpoint their location in Collier County, Florida

<p>Collier County Sheriff

Collier County Sheriff's Office

Stranded Couple, 4 Dogs Rescued in the Everglades

  • A couple and their four dogs were rescued after getting lost in the Everglades last week

  • The couple was able to call authorities who then used their cellphone signal to pinpoint their location

  • The couple was in good condition and were uninjured in the ordeal

A couple and their four dogs were rescued after losing their way in a dense mangrove swamp in Florida’s Everglades, authorities said.

The couple got lost while traveling in their boat, just east of Everglades City in Collier County on April 4, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies received a distress call from the couple, and they were able to find the stranded boaters via their cellphone signal, according to NBC affiliate WBBH-TV.

Rescuers aboard a helicopter with the sheriff’s office were also aided when the couple waved their orange life jackets to guide them overhead, pilot Joshua White told the station.

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"It's like a needle in a needle stack,” he said. “The good part is in that area in Big Cypress is that it's mostly green. So they stood out.”

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But the rescue mission wasn’t easy, White added.

“That particular day, it was extremely windy,” White told CBS affiliate WINK-TV. “I believe it was a Thursday; we were gusting up to over 30 knots of wind. So, there was a lot going on up front, between myself and the copilot, trying to keep it overhead and steady for the crew chief so he could affect the hoist safely.”

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Rescue specialists rappelled into the boat while a police mud boat from North Collier Fire Rescue guided them back to safety.

"Since they had four dogs on board, they didn't want to leave the dogs, and we didn't want to leave the boat either,” White said. “So we had the rescue specialist — we decided the best idea was to help them get out on their own boat,” White said.

The couple was in good condition following the incident and suffered no injuries, the sheriff’s office said.

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