Five divers who were drifting for hours off the Hawaiian coast were rescued by a sailing couple that heard their screams for help and found “five little dots” in the vast ocean.
The divers became separated from their boat during an excursion, leading them to cling to each other for survival. Camila Storchi and her husband were sailing from Kaneohe to Honolulu when they heard the desperate cries. Storchi recounted to local station Hawaii News Now, “We were passing Hanauma and going around China Walls. He heard screaming for help and he started scanning the ocean and we saw five little dots.”
Those "dots" were the stranded divers, clinging together to stay afloat. In an Instagram post, Storchi described the urgent scene: one of the divers was “gray, hypothermia, throwing up.” The couple were not able bring all five divers on board. Instead, they quickly notified the Coast Guard and circled the group for 45 minutes, providing reassurance and keeping spirits high until help arrived. “We were talking, offering water and keeping them in good spirits,” Storchi added.
When a Coast Guard helicopter reached the scene, the dive boat also arrived.
“The helicopter arrived on scene and relayed the position to the (dive boat) who transited to the location and picked up the divers,” the Coast Guard confirmed in a statement to Hawaii News Now.
The dive company, Aaron’s Dive Shop, acknowledged the incident and stated they were reviewing protocols to prevent similar events. The Coast Guard’s statement indicated the dive boat had "lost" the divers but learned of their safety through the radio.
