A Coast Guard rescue swimmer tore open the cabin roof of a partially submerged sailboat off Coronado on Sunday, Oct. 11, to free a man trapped inside and struggling to breathe.
The Joint Harbor Operations Center received a transferred 911 call around 4 a.m. from the man, who reported his vessel was aground and taking on water, according to a Coast Guard press release. A Coast Guard Station San Diego boat crew located the sailboat near Coronado Beach but could not approach because of shallow water and hazardous conditions.
A Coast Guard Air Station Ventura MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew flew to the scene and lowered Petty Officer 2nd Class Mike Antoon, an aviation survival technician, onto the boat. Antoon found the sailor trapped inside the partially submerged cabin with waves washing over the vessel.
Antoon gave the man his snorkel so he could breathe, then ripped open part of the cabin roof to pull him free.
"I'm incredibly fortunate enough to be able to do this job," Antoon said. "This morning was a culmination of everyone working smoothly as a crew, including sector getting us there in time, and a bit of good fortune."
The helicopter crew transported the man to Coast Guard Sector San Diego, where emergency medical services personnel were waiting. He arrived at approximately 7:25 a.m. San Diego lifeguards also assisted in the rescue, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The Coast Guard did not release the man's name or describe his condition.
The rescue came as remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel hit San Diego County harder than expected before dawn Sunday. The storm triggered several water rescues across the region, including one in Coronado and one in the La Mesa area involving city firefighters and lifeguards, the Union-Tribune reported.
As we reported Friday, Rachel was expected to bring flood risk to Coronado through Tuesday.
The National Weather Service had forecast roughly 1 inch of rain for coastal cities and 2 to 3 inches for inland mountains and valleys. The outer edge of Rachel reached shore around 8 p.m. Saturday, earlier than anticipated. By 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Palomar Mountain had received 5.16 inches and San Diego International Airport had recorded 0.92 inches, according to the Union-Tribune.
The storm also knocked out power to more than 330 customers in the Otay Mesa-San Ysidro area and damaged the berm protecting the Del Mar Lifeguard headquarters. The Tijuana River estuary flooded a street in Imperial Beach.
No Coronado Fire Department or Coronado lifeguard officials have been quoted on the storm-related water rescue in Coronado. Details on that incident, including its exact location, have not been released.
