The U.S. Coast Guard saved a pair of scuba divers after they spent 38 hours off the coast of Matagorda, Texas, this week.
Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi got word Wednesday that the two were seen surfacing in adverse ocean conditions, the military service said in a release Friday.
The family of the two divers identified them to local news outlets as married couple Nathan and Kim Maker from Edmond, Oklahoma.
“The rain was so hard that you couldn’t see outside. It stormed and the winds were atrocious, the waves were atrocious,” Lisa Shearin, who was on the boat with them, told Oklahoma City ABC affiliate KOCO-TV about the conditions Wednesday.
Using aircraft, the Coast Guard ultimately spotted a flashing light and rescued the pair Thursday after a search that spanned 1,656 square miles and 36 hours.
A family member credited the divine with keeping them alive and for the Coast Guard’s rescue, which occurred just hours before the search would have been called off.
“This plane happened to be in the air last night making its last run outside the grid, and Nathan and Kim had their diving flashlights and they were doing the SOS to point at the plane’s bottom. … This miracle was performed by the Coast Guard at God’s direction,” Mr. Maker’s uncle Charles Owen told Oklahoma City NBC affiliate KFOR-TV.
The Makers are recuperating at a Texas hospital in stable condition.
Mr. Maker almost slipped into a diabetic coma before being rescued. He and his wife incurred jellyfish stings, dehydration and sunburn during their time at sea, Mr. Owen told Oklahoma City Fox affiliate KOKH-TV.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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