Coast Guard rescues two men off Ponte Vedra Beach coast Thursday

Ponte Vedra Beach FL — After searching an area of about 1,442 square miles over 12 hours, two men are now safe after they needed to be rescued about 64 miles off the Ponte Vedra Beach coast Thursday when their boat broke down according to the US Coast Guard. We’re told the wife of one of the men called the Coast Guard in New Smyrna Beach Wednesday telling officials her husband and friend had not returned from a fishing trip and they were not able to communicate via radio. The Coast Guard says the two were expected to return before 5 PM after launching their boat at 3 AM from the Halifax River in Daytona Beach.

Once officials were alerted to the missing boaters, a crew from Air Station Miami found the two men at 2 AM, and a crew from Mayport were sent out to get them.

“The Coast Guard would like to remind mariners to have an emergency position indicator radio beacon onboard in case of an emergency,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Jorge Jorge, Sector Jacksonville operations specialist. “Having an EPIRB onboard can help the Coast Guard locate you more efficiently and in a timely manner.”

The two men were not injured.

©2022 Cox Media Group