Race against time to save California sailor trapped on sinking ship amid monster waves

A sailor trapped inside a sinking sailboat off the California coast was pulled to safety Sunday morning after a Coast Guard swimmer broke through the vessel’s roof to reach him.

The dramatic scene unfolded close to Coronado after the man called 911 around 4 a.m., reporting that his ship had run aground and was filling with water.

A crew from Coast Guard Station San Diego managed to locate the stranded vessel but could not reach it because of dangerously shallow waters and rough conditions.

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Footage showed powerful waves crashing into the stranded sailboat and flooding its cabin as a helicopter crew surveyed the conditions from above.

With the man still trapped, an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Ventura was dispatched to the scene.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Mike Antoon, a rescue swimmer, was lowered from the helicopter onto the stricken sailboat, where he discovered the man struggling to breathe inside a partially flooded cabin as waves repeatedly crashed over the vessel.

Antoon handed the sailor his snorkel to help him breathe before ripping open part of the cabin roof to pull him out.

The helicopter crew then airlifted the man to Coast Guard Sector San Diego, where medical personnel were waiting to treat him around 7:25 a.m.

Antoon credited the successful rescue to teamwork and a little luck.

“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.”

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