The US Coast Guard and Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action rescued three federal agents and two boaters during a search and rescue response involving two vessel capsizes off Isla de Cabras on March 30. All five individuals were reported safe following the operation in Toa Baja.
Coast guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a report from the Puerto Rico Police at 21:05 regarding a capsized 22-foot (6.7-metre) vessel. An urgent marine information broadcast was issued to alert traffic while a 45-foot (13.7-metre) response boat medium and an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter were dispatched to the scene.
A Customs and Border Protection marine unit also responded but capsized in 10-foot (three-metre) swells while attempting to reach the original vessel, throwing three agents into the water. The coast guard reported that the station boat crew could not reach the survivors due to a "deteriorated sea state" and the position of the craft beyond the reef line.
A Puerto Rico Police helicopter crew managed to rescue one boater and one agent, transporting them to safety at Isla de Cabras. The remaining three people were hoisted from the water by a coast guard aircrew and taken to the Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport for medical treatment.
Lt. David Tirado-Tolosa, a coast guard Aircraft Commander, noted that the mission highlights the, "high-risk environment our crews, federal, and local partners face every time they respond to a search and rescue". Tirado-Tolosa encouraged the public to check weather conditions, stating that the north shore would not be safe for small vessels for several days.
The Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator, Cmdr. Zach Geyer, noted the responding crew made a, "deliberate and calculated risk decision to save two individuals in immediate danger of death".
