Father and son rescued off Hyannisport jetty during rising tide… [Video]
HYANNISPORT – A father and son here on vacation were unaware of the tide rising up around them…
Just before 10pm, police received a distress call from two fishermen stranded out on the Hyannisport jetty…
The Hyannisport jetty extends out from an area of beach near the Kennedy Compound and is estimated to be two-thirds of mile in length. It’s a popular location for fishermen.
But when the high tide rises above the middle section of the jetty it becomes a treacherous location to be stranded, especially at night… the rocks are slippery and there is no lighting… For someone unfamiliar the area, it’s a scary and hazardous place to be cut off from dry land…
Tonight’s castaways had their cell phones, but the batteries were dying, they decided to call for help…
Barnstable Police officers responded to the area and spotted a flickering light, confirming the two men were still stuck on the rocks and had not fallen into the water…
Meanwhile, Hyannis Firefighters launched two rescue boats, a small Boston Whaler from a nearby beach… along with their larger fire boat out of the School Street docks…
Fire fighters navigated out into the pitch dark night waters where they eventually made contact… Both men were given life jackets and helped off the rocks and onto the Whaler…
According to Hyannis Fire Captain Hans Kristofferson, once onshore, the relieved father and son signed patient refusal forms affirming they did not want medical attention…
The men spoke Spanish and Hyannis News learned they were here enjoying their vacation, happily catching fish, when they realized the tide was rising and they were cut off from shore… They told Hyannis News they were originally from Columbia and unfamiliar with the jetty…
The men also said they had seen a small shark swim by while stranded out there…
Now safe and sound, the two castaways walked away on dry land carrying their bucket of fish…
The following video footage captures the rescue from beginning to end… [Press play]
6/22/2014
Robert Bastille,
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