CLEARWATER, Fla. — A missing mother was rescued Tuesday after a coastal thunderstorm separated her from her husband and child while paddleboarding off Cedar Key, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
According to a news release, Levy County Sheriff's Office dispatch contacted Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders at 10:41 a.m., reporting that a paddleboarder lost sight of his wife and had to beach himself and his child on Dog Island due to inclement weather.
A Coast Guard boat crew located the missing mother around 11 a.m., picked up the father and child and took them to Cedar Key Boat Ramp, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
“We were scanning the water with binoculars when we spotted the bright orange life jacket she was wearing,” PO3 Elizabeth Knight of the Aids to Navigation Team St. Petersburg said in the news release. “She appeared to be exhausted from paddling against the weather and once she saw us, she waved her paddle in the air and started calling for help.”
No injuries were reported, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
Maritime officials are reminding people to monitor weather changes while out on the water to keep safe.
To view your local weather forecast before your next boating trip, click here and input your ZIP code or city/state in the "local forecast" box.
