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Swimmer rescued in Gulf
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Published: June 7, 2009
REDINGTON BEACH - A 32-year-old man who went for a predawn swim in the Gulf of Mexico was rescued Saturday after almost five hours of treading water, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
Joseph Foley was found about 8:30 a.m., roughly 300 yards west of Redington Beach. He was not wearing a life jacket and appeared to be suffering from hypothermia, the Coast Guard said.
Foley was taken to Johns Pass, where emergency medical personnel were waiting.
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office received a call about 4 a.m. reporting a man in the water waving his arms in distress. The call was transferred to the Coast Guard.
A 25-foot vessel from Coast Guard Station Sand Key and an HH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater were launched to search the area.
According to initial reports, the man was on the beach with a couple of friends when he decided to swim. When the glow of the man's cigarette vanished, they presumed something was wrong.
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