A family’s paddleboarding outing in Florida took a terrifying turn on Tuesday.
According to a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard, a mother and her family were near Cedar Island when a thunderstorm struck.
The Levy County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Petersburg Coast Guard Sector at 10:41 a.m.
A paddleboarder who lost his wife to bad weather eventually made it safely to the beach on nearby Isle of Dogs with himself and his daughter, the Sheriff’s Office reports.
Coast Guard rescues 5 men crammed into capsized boat 11 miles off Florida coast
A mother was reunited with her family after a thunderstorm separated paddleboarders in Cedar Key Tuesday morning. (Southeast Coast Guard)
Authorities found the missing mother around 11 a.m. Tuesday. Soon after, she was reunited with her husband and children. The family was taken by boat to the Cedar Key boat ramp.
“As we scanned the water with binoculars, we spotted the bright orange life jacket she was wearing,” Petty Officer 3rd Class Elizabeth Knight said in a Coast Guard news release.
Coast Guard rescues eight people, including children, after boat capsizes 36 miles west of Florida coastline
Knight added: “She appeared to be exhausted from paddling against the weather and as soon as she saw us she waved her paddle in the air and started calling for help.”
Beach palm trees in Cedar Island City Park, Florida. A family gets separated while paddling on Cedar Island. The mother was rescued by the Coast Guard. (Education Photo/Global Photo Group, Getty Images)
St. Petersburg Sector Commander Capt. Michael P. Kahler praised the rescue, saying, “No matter what mission they are assigned, Coast Guard crews are always ready to rescue sailors at sea. In this case, while conducting routine operations While maintenance was being carried out, our rescue equipment navigation team was able to assist in rescuing a paddleboarder who was believed to be in distress.
The Coast Guard said no one was injured.
Click here to get the Fox News app
“I want to thank our Coast Guard men and women who conduct navigational assistance missions across the country, and I’m glad our crews were able to reunite this mother with her husband and children,” Kahler added.
