U. S. Coast Guard
October 05, 2004
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MIAMI -- A commercial salvager rescued two people Saturday morning two miles off Baker's Haulover Inlet when their 26-foot recreational boat took on water and capsized.
The Good Samaritan was responding to an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast issued by Coast Guard Sector Miami for a distress call received from the boat operator via cellular phone.
The case started at approximately 8:20, Saturday morning when a boater called the Seventh District Command Center to report his vessel was sinking. The initial cellular connection was lost, but not before rescue coordinators were able to get the caller's number.
At 8:25, Sector Miami was able to reach the boat operator again by cell phone. After collecting the basic information, a UMIB was issued. Just four minutes into the call, the boat capsized and communication was lost with the vessel in distress.
Fortunately, the UMIB was received by the Good Samaritan who immediatley headed to the reported location and recovered the two people from the water at approximately 8:45 in good condition. A rescue boat was launched and a helicopter requested but neither were needed due to the quick aid of the salvager.
The people and boat were transported safely ashore by the salvager.
"Marine radios are critical safety components on any boat," said Cmdr. Cari Thomas, response commander for Sector Miami. "As this case demonstrates, they not only allow those in distress to call for help, but allow other mariners to provide timely, and often life-saving assistance."
The Coast Guard issues UMIBs as an initial response measure in any search and rescue case in order to alert commercial or recreational mariners who may be in the area of a distress situation. Often, other boats in the area are able to respond faster than the region's rescue services.
Boaters are always urged to have a working VHF-FM marine radio on board in case they need to call for assistance, but they are also urged to monitor Ch. 16 so that they can hear any calls of distress or UMIBs that they are in a position to respond to.
This case also serves as a reminder that cellular phones are not to be considered a primary means of distress notification. Fortunately, in this case the operator was close enough to shore to get a signal and had enough time to provide the critical facts necessary for a quick rescue response. However, the Coast Guard discourages boaters from considering cellular phones as their primary communication in the case of emergencies for the following reasons:
- Cellular phones do not have the off-shore range of marine radios.
- Cellular phones are point-to-point communication, meaning that the conversation can only be heard by the caller and the receiver. Marine radios allow other boaters or first responders with radios to hear the call, allowing them to respond immediately if they are in the area of the distress.
- Cellular phones require a number to be dialed, so if the call is lost there is the likelihood that those in peril may not be able to re-connect with potential rescuers.
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