Rescued divers reuniting with family.Photo:USCG Mid-Atlantic/Twitter
USCG Mid-Atlantic/Twitter
Two of the four divers who wererescued dozens of miles off the coast of North Carolinaearlier this week are speaking out about the ordeal.
Ben Wiggins, 64, Daniel Williams, 46, Luke Lodge, 26, and Evan Williams, 16, were rescued early Monday morning after they went missingwhile divingmore than 60 miles off the coast of Myrtle Beach, S.C., according toNBC affiliate WRALandThe Post and Courier.
The group was found about 46 miles southeast of Cape Fear, N.C., according to the Coast Guard, whichshared photos on social mediaof the divers reuniting with their families.
“The moment I saw my kid come running down the dock I fell to my knees on the ramp, I just held them tight, [said I was] sorry I scared them,” Williams told WRAL.
The group was on a spearfishing dive when they drifted too far from the boat, Wiggins told theCourier. They resurfaced about 150 yards away from the boat, and the captain was unable to find them as they continued to drift away.
“I said, ‘Guys, we are full in survival mode now,’ ” Wiggins told the outlet.
Rescued divers reunite with family.USCG Mid-Atlantic/Twitter
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The group used a strobe light to try and signal for help while watching aircrafts fly overhead. “I would take it, point it at the plane, [but] nothing happened,” Williams told WRAL.
Rescued diver.USCG Mid-Atlantic/Twitter
Finally, at about 12:45 a.m., a Coast Guard helicopter found the missing divers and launched a life raft.
All four divers were sunburned and dehydrated, but otherwise uninjured.
“I shouldn’t even be here,” Wiggins told theCourier. “The odds of what happened were so stacked against us. Every word from my mouth right now, everything is a gift.”
“I can’t tell you what a feeling it is, after having been in the water, to get into a raft and be out of the ocean, free from the threat of what lies beneath the surface,” Wiggins added. “It was just incredible.”
source: people.com
