Florida Wave Turns Fishing Trip Into 2 Days of Sunburn, Jellyfish Stings While Lost at Sea

(Photo : Geranimo / Unsplash)
A Florida man, who was supposed to be on a fishing trip, was instead sunburnt and stung by jellyfish for two days in the middle of the sea.

When supposedly on his usual fishing trip in Florida, an experienced 25-year-old man was swept out to sea by a powerful wave and endured the pain of sunburn and jellyfish stings for two days.

Fishing Trip Becomes Dangerous Drift to Sea

Florida local Charles Gregory, who had frequently gone on early-morning fishing trips off the coast of Florida's St. Augustine on Friday, took extraordinary precautions to survive being lost at sea for over two days.

But more quickly than he anticipated, the tide rose, after which, he was thrown into the lake by a wave that struck his flat-bottomed, lightweight 12-foot Jon boat.

Although he was able to get back on the boat, the violent tides still carried him out to sea. According to his father, Raymond Gregory, the 25-year-old "struggled to stay alive" for over two days while clinging to the half-submerged boat in the scorching Florida sun, suffering from jellyfish stings and terrifying shark sightings.

Raymond claimed that Charles was scared to death during the two days of being stranded in the middle of the sea.

After an aviation crew discovered Charles 12 miles offshore on Saturday morning, boat workers were able to rescue him from the Atlantic Ocean, according to US Coast Guard News. The Coast Guard's video of the rescue showed Charles sitting in the tiny Jon boat with its bow already submerged in the water.

Dehydration and Sunburn

Everything began on Friday at around 4 AM ET, when Charles was last seen driving the Jon boat away from the Lighthouse Park Boat Ramp.

Charles struggled to hold on to the boat while exposed to the sun as the tide carried him out to sea, according to his father. Charles made frantic attempts to keep the tiny boat afloat throughout the course of nearly two days, even taking the motor out of the boat. In a desperate attempt to get assistance, his father stated, the boy removed his swim trunks and waved at passing boats and planes.

Apart from experiencing sunburn, Charles informed his father that the night was particularly challenging due to persistent winds and cold conditions by the sea.

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Although Charles is currently in the process of recovery at home, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that dehydration could potentially worsen his rhabdomyolysis, a condition in which damaged muscles break down, releasing their contents into the bloodstream.

Due to the severity of his sunburn, bruises, and bites, Charles is finding it quite challenging to move and even get out of bed. Despite this, his father expects that he will soon return to a state of wellness.

Raymond expressed his gratitude to the community, search teams, and himself for his son's safe recovery and expressed his joy at his return, AccuWeather reports.

The young Gregory was rescued and met emergency services near the Vilano Beach Fishing Pier. The Coast Guard noted that although Charles was saved from a potentially fatal circumstance in this case, it should as a reminder to the public that having safety equipment on board and being ready for the worst is important. A life jacket, a VHF marine grade radio, signaling equipment, and an emergency personal locator beacon are all items that sailors should keep on board, according to the US Coast Guard News, in case they need assistance.

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