On March 28, Chris Smelley embarked on a morning of kayak fishing on Florida’s Gulf Coast when he soon learned just how powerful the winds were this day. Unable to paddle back to shore, the former University of South Carolina quarterback was pushed two miles out to sea. He faced a nearly 12-hour ordeal before being rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Former College Quarterback Rescued From Kayak After 12 Hours At Sea
Smelley notes the wind wasn’t so strong inshore. He was unaware of the severity of the conditions until he was further out. According to news reports on outlets including ABC News, it was after fighting a fish that he noticed how far he had been carried by the wind. When Smelley, a healthy, former Division-I athlete, attempted to paddle back toward shore, he could not gain ground.
To complicate matters, Smelley was without a PFD or cell phone. It appears the angler had no radio either. This put the angler in a compromising position. He was unable to communicate his situation with family or emergency services. And, he was without a buoyancy aid should capsize and lose his kayak.
Fortunately for Smelley, his wife knew he had gone on a fishing excursion. When he did not return, she grew concerned and contacted local authorities.
Meanwhile on the water, Smelley says he wasn’t scared at first. Then, as it became dark, he noticed a helicopter searching the area. In his dark-colored clothing in a dark-colored kayak, the helicopter could not locate the angler on their initial pass. It also appears Smelley did not have lights or a visual device to signal the helicopter. This is when Smelley came to terms with the thought he may be spending the night on the water.
He continued to fish, planning to eat what he caught to sustain himself. Later, after 7:00 p.m., the U.S. Coast Guard finally spotted the angler waving to them.
“I was just kind of in survival mode,” Smelley told ABC News. “I threw my hands up and screamed.”
A rescue swimmer made contact with the angler at his position two miles off the coast of Grayton Beach, Florida. A friend of Smelley’s was searching by boat nearby at this point, and the parties were able to coordinate and have him board.
A Rare Fortunate Ending to a Familiar Tale
“It’s not often things turn out the way this one did,” explained Jeremy Fisher of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office in another interview aired on ABC 7 Chicago.
Fortunately, The sea tale of the 37-year-old, former quarterback for the Gamecocks ended differently. All told, rescuers were able to bring Smelley home with little more than a sunburn from hours of exposure. Thanks to the coordinated response of his family and rescuers, the Sylacauga High School football coach, husband and father has more mornings of fishing ahead.
PFD! VHF! C’mon man!