An Aircrew Were On A Remote Patrol When They Spotted Strange Signs Of Life On A Deserted Island

It’s the start of an adventure the Coast Guard members will never forget. As they fly closer, they see signs of unusual activity on a remote island that lies around 45 miles off the Cuban coast. Known as Anguilla Cay, this place has never played home to any villages or communities. Instead, it’s just an empty stretch of sand and grass. So, what on Earth has managed to catch the crew off guard?

If we let our imaginations run away with us, there are plenty of things the Coast Guard could have noticed on this empty island. Perhaps they detected a mysterious ‘X’ marking the spot of some long-lost forgotten treasure? Or maybe they saw evidence that, against the odds, some people had made their home in this faraway place?

Either of these discoveries would have been extraordinary for this Coast Guard crew. Operating out of Opa-locka – just north of Miami – the team typically focus on rescue missions in the waters between Florida and Cuba. On this day, though, they were in for something totally unexpected.

And it’s fair to say that the Coast Guard crewmembers have seen a lot. Their air station was opened in June 1932, and it was something of a trailblazer as the first base to use advanced aircraft to conduct rescues out on the ocean. Then, more than three decades after opening, the facility was relocated to the city of Opa-locka, where it remains to this day. Normally, though, exploring desert islands isn’t part of the Coast’s Guard agenda.

Instead, an average day at the station may involve delivering humanitarian aid or airlifting stranded sailors from the Atlantic Ocean. Sometimes, the crew even assist in large-scale rescue operations like the one for the downed Eastern Airlines Flight 401. After the doomed plane smashed into the Everglades in December 1972, the folks from Coast Guard Air Station Miami were there to do whatever was necessary.

That time, the team helped to save 42 people, airlift them from the crash site and take them to the hospital. But that wasn’t the only occasion they’ve been involved in a newsworthy operation. Eight years later, when the borders of Cuba opened, the Coast Guard Station Miami crew rescued over 100,000 people attempting to make the perilous crossing to the United States.

Later, Coast Guard aircraft from Station Miami provided essential relief in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. And as disasters such as the Haiti earthquake and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill struck the region, they were always ready to lend a helping hand. But none of this could have prepared the crew for what they found on Anguilla Cay.

Mind you, the Coast Guard had the right equipment for the job. At present, the Opa-locka station is home to five HC-144s – twin-engined aircraft often used in rescue operations. The base also houses five helicopters known as MH-65D Dolphins. And at any one time, more than 300 people – both military personnel and civilians – can be found on the site. Together, they operate a constant patrol of the Florida coast, providing assistance to anyone in need.

And on February 8, 2021, that assistance was needed in an unexpected place. That day, an HC-144 took off from Opa-locka on an ordinary patrol. Then, as the crew flew south across the Atlantic Ocean, they passed over an island that was familiar to them: Anguilla Cay. One of a string of islands known as the Anguilla Cays, it sits on the southern end of the Cay Sal Bank off the northern coast of Cuba.

Technically, Anguilla Cay is part of the Bahamas, an archipelago famous for its tropical holidays and luxury resorts. But this particular spot is much closer to Cuba – and you won’t find any five-star hotels dotting its sandy shores. Instead, the atoll is little more than a bank of sand, untouched by human civilization.

Or, at least, that’s what the crew from Opa-locka thought. But as they neared Anguilla Cay – which they’d flown over on a number of previous occasions – they spotted something unusual below. From 500 feet above the island, they saw what appeared to be a cross and a flag. Those were both clear indicators of a human presence on the deserted spit of land.

So, what was going on? Well, as they got closer to Anguilla Cay, the crew realized that there were actually people on the remote island. Not only that, but these castaways appeared to be trying to get the aircraft’s attention. They were waving a flag in the air, beckoning at the Coast Guard team flying overhead.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph in February 2021, pilot Lt. Riley Beecher recalled, “I thought, ‘Let’s take a closer look.’ I had never seen anything on that island. Then I saw two people were frantically waving their hands trying to get us to come down.” Keen to assist, the crew tossed a radio down and opened up a line of communication.

But before long, a terrifying story emerged. On the island were a small group of Cuban nationals – one woman and a pair of men. Apparently, they’d been caught in a storm five weeks beforehand, and their boat had capsized. And while the trio had been able to swim to Anguilla Cay, they claimed that they had been stranded there for 33 days.

But how had these people survived on an uninhabited scrap of land, exposed to the elements and with no access to food and fresh water? According to reports, the castaways built rudimentary shelters and ate rat and conch meat to get rid of their hunger. To stay hydrated? They gulped down rainwater.

Amazed by this unexpected discovery, the crew dropped food and water to the people on the island. But, unfortunately, they couldn’t mount a rescue straight away. Unfavorable weather conditions meant such an operation couldn’t take place until the following day. And so the three castaways were forced to stay put while the Coast Guard left them.

Luckily, Beecher and his team were able to make contact with another Coast Guard aircraft that was patrolling in the area. And before long, they had arrived at Anguilla Cay with more emergency supplies, including life jackets. According to the marine news site The Maritime Executive, the crew even handed their own food to the stranded trio.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, pilot Lt. Justin Dougherty recalled the moment he and his colleagues had made contact with the survivors. He said, “They definitely seemed very relieved. They had lost track of exactly what day it was.” But the castaways weren’t out of the woods just yet. Apparently, the female member of the group had begun to suffer from low blood sugar levels.

And while the second crew were able to drop off some medical products to help the woman, it had become clear that she and the others needed to be removed from the island and given medical attention. So, on February 9, a Coast Guard Clearwater helicopter arrived on the scene. But unfortunately for the castaways, their ordeal still wasn’t over.

Unable to land on the island, the crew were forced to rescue the trio one by one, winching each hundreds of feet up into the waiting helicopter. Then, after a tense half-hour operation, all three made it safely inside. Afterward, they were taken to a medical center in Florida, where healthcare professionals assessed their conditions.

And, remarkably, the castaways apparently weren’t suffering from any serious injuries. In fact, aside from some symptoms of fatigue and dehydration, they seemed to be in great health. Yes, all three had fared surprisingly well given that they’d been stranded on a desert island for more than a month.

Speaking to Miami-based news station WPLG, Dougherty shared his disbelief, saying, “That is pretty extraordinary. It was incredible. I don’t know how they did it. I am amazed that they were in such good shape.” Given the dangers of dehydration, it’s lucky that the three emerged with their lives.

It’s possible that Anguilla Cay’s palm trees provided potentially life-saving shade. Had the island been more barren or warmer at the time, then, the story may not have had such a happy ending. As one Coast Guard representative told The Maritime Executive, the trio were very fortunate to have made it through.

Speaking to The Guardian in February 2021, a Coast Guard official confirmed that this was a rescue unlike any the team had ever seen before. They said, “I cannot recall a time that we saved people who were stranded for over a month on an island. That is a new one for me.”

Speaking to The Maritime Executive Sean Connett said, “Thanks to our aircrews diligently conducting routine patrols, we were able to spot people in distress and intervene. This was a very complex operation involving assets and crews from different units, but thanks to good communication and coordination between command centers and pilots, we were able to safely get everyone to a medical facility before the situation could worsen.”

But how exactly had the three people ended up on Anguilla Cay in the first place? Well, at the moment, officials have little reason to doubt the story that they simply swam ashore after their vessel capsized. It’s currently unclear, though, whether the trio were attempting to reach America or simply fell victim to a sailing trip gone wrong.

For the time being, the former castaways are in the hands of U.S. border control. But for the folks involved in the dramatic rescue, those people’s origins didn’t matter. According to The Daily Telegraph, the team was simply focused on saving fellow humans in need.

It wasn’t even the first time the Coast Guard had been called upon to rescue Cuban nationals from Cay Sal Bank. Just a year prior a team picked up a group of 22 migrants who’d wound up marooned on the remote island chain. Although their ordeal was relatively short at just ten days, the conditions would have proved just as challenging.

But for the crew involved in February’s rescue, their experience was one they’re unlikely to forget anytime soon. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Beecher said, “It’s not every day you come across three individuals stranded for 33 days on an island. To see the relief in their face when you have given them some hope is pretty awesome and fulfilling.”

A fellow U.S. Air Force crew flying over the scattered islands of Micronesia were also on the lookout for missing sailors. This bunch had only been missing for three days but it didn't make the mission any less urgent. Naturally, there were growing concerns the men may have perished. Then the pilot spotted something unusual on a tiny island.

The sailors had gone missing after setting off from the small atoll of Poluwat. But when they didn’t make it to their destination – the even tinier Pulap Atoll – the three men were reported as lost.

The missing report was instigated the next day, and it was filed by officials on the United States’ Pacific Ocean territory of Guam. Perhaps they were informed of the AWOL sailors by friends or family who were expecting them to return to the Pulap Atoll where they all lived. Nevertheless, whoever first raised the alarm must have been really concerned for their wellbeing.

For their part, the lost mariners were all natives of Micronesia. That is the collective name for the over 600 islands and atolls that are scattered across the Caroline Islands archipelago in the western part of the Pacific. For reference, they are located south of Japan and to the north of Papua New Guinea.

The three Micronesian sailors had taken to the western Pacific in a small, skiff-style vessel on that fateful Thursday. But they then disappeared at some point on their journey. And the prospect of them surviving out there for numerous days was quite slim.

Of course, being stuck out on the Pacific Ocean on a small boat for days is extremely dangerous. Firstly, it could leave the three Micronesian mariners at the mercy of the fast-changing and often hazardous weather out there. Indeed, their small boat was at the mercy of storms and crashing waves that could easily sink or capsize it.

The men also had the possibility of coming face-to-face with some dangerous species lurking underneath the Pacific Ocean’s vast waters – such as the Great White Shark. One or more of the notorious hunters could attempt to take a bite out of the vessel – mistaking it for potential prey. They could even breach the water in order to grab their meal.

But the possibility of being attacked by a Great White might be the least of the sailor’s worries. The chances of that terrifying scenario may seem slim, but the threat of dehydration was much more real. If the men had not packed enough fresh water then they faced fall prey to that condition if not rescued quickly enough. Humans cannot drink salty ocean water, remember, and doing so in an attempt to quell dehydration can kill you.

Death by dehydration could occur within three to five days – or potentially less – depending on the heat. The sailors could also be in significant danger of contracting hypothermia if they were wet. This occurs when the human body emits more warmth than it creates – leading to a significant drop in temperature.

Severe hypothermia can eventually result in major organ failure. Furthermore, if any of the three missing sailors had any chronic ailments like diabetes, autoimmune deficiency, heart disease or arthritis, then they would be more susceptible to developing the condition.

Finally, the sailors could eventually perish due to starvation. Experts suggest that could happen anywhere between four to eight weeks, according to the website Professor’s House. Otherwise, they would have to try and catch fish or sea birds to survive.