Intense video has just been released of a sea captain jumping into freezing cold water in an attempt to save a struggling crewman who had been in the water for about 20 minutes before they spotted him.
The man in trouble seemed almost incapacitated by the coldness of the water, and if it weren’t for the heroic efforts of Christian Trosvig, captain of the doomed ship the doomed Grayling, and Dale Pruitt, captain of a nearby vessel who came over to help, the fisherman would most likely be dead. Trosvig posted his thoughts on the rescue on Facebook yesterday:
https://www.facebook.com/christian.trosvig/posts/1432832233476726
“To God be the glory for giving me the courage and strength to get my man out of the water and bring him back to life,” he wrote, while also mentioning the painful memory of losing his twin brother at sea. “It was not going to happen again,” he recalled thinking.
But things didn’t look good for a terrifying 20 minutes or so.
It all went down on Monday, near the Kupreanof Strait and Raspberry Island. The boats had all been somewhat nearby one another, waiting for their turn to fish. Only one boat could set their nets at a time, and Pruitt (of the Kodiak) was one of the captains patiently waiting their turn. Thankfully, he wasn’t taking a nap or watching movies to kill the time – he was scanning around when he noticed the Grayling was having problems.
According to the Alaska Dispatch News:
“So I went over there and asked what was going on,” Pruitt, 57, said. “And he goes, ‘I can’t get the water out.'” The Coast Guard reported 17-mph winds and 5-foot seas in the area that day. Pruitt described the seas as “pretty big,” with 5- or 6-foot waves.
Pruitt said the Calista Marie started towing the sinking boat to shore, only about a quarter-mile away. But about halfway there, the Grayling unexpectedly rolled, sending the four fishermen into the water.
“So my skiff let go of them and started picking up people,” Pruitt said.
The Calista Marie crew rescued one person. The Grayling captain, Christian Trosvig, and another crew member climbed aboard the Grayling’s own skiff, Pruitt said.
They couldn’t find the fourth person, he said.
Pruitt said the crews were scanning the water for the missing crew member, trying to figure out what to do next.
“That was a scary moment,” he said.
The Calista Marie cut its tie to the Grayling, not wanting to pull it farther in case the missing crew member had a pocket of air under the boat — which, while upside down, was still floating, Pruitt said.
About 20 minutes passed, Pruitt said, and suddenly the missing fisherman’s head popped above the water. Trosvig, wearing a life jacket, immediately jumped from the skiff back into the sea. He swam roughly 50 yards to reach the crew member, Pruitt said.
“Chris was the hero. He saved that guy’s life,” Pruitt said. “Chris swam over there, grabbed him, pulled him into the skiff and gave him CPR for probably five minutes. That revived him.”
Incredible. Praise God all men are ok, and for giving Trosvig the courage to leap right in to that freezing water. We all like to think we’d do the same, but we never can be sure until that time comes. It should be an inspiration to us all when we see someone willing to lay down their life for another person, as there is no greater love than that.
Amazing stuff – and with a happy ending. Be sure to share the good!