Jet Skier Lost For 12 Hours Sends Thanks To Rescuers

PORT RICHEY, FL — A jet skier who was rescued after being stranded for 12 hours in the Gulf is sending his thanks to the first responders who spent the night searching for him.

"I wish I could thank them all personally," said Cole Torrent. "They did such an amazing job."

Eight agencies joined the search for the 28-year-old man after he was reported missing Tuesday.

Torrent had gone jet skiing with a friend around 1 p.m. Tuesday in Millers Bayou off Port Richey. Torrent said his friend had gone back to shore when Torrent spotted a bird tangled in some fishing line. When he tried to rescue the bird, he said, he became separated from his jet ski.

"I docked to help the bird and didn't tie off well enough," he said.

Fortunately, he was wearing a life jacket, which helped him keep afloat in the strong current while he swam to the nearest refuge — a stilt house near the mouth of the Cotee River in New Port Richey.

"I've lived in the water my whole life, so I knew I needed to get out of the water as soon as possible and get dry and I'd be OK," he said.

He just didn't realize he'd have to spend the night in the stilt house before he was rescued.

When Torrent hadn't returned to shore by 5:30 p.m., Torrent's friend alerted the U.S. Coast Guard.

Hours later, Port Richey police discovered Torrent's jet ski caught in some mangroves, but Torrent was nowhere to be found.

Rescuers searched through the night. The next morning, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office helicopter spotted Torrent waving from the dock of the stilt house.

Tired and hungry, Torrent was transported to the Pasco Sheriff's Maritime Operations unit onshore, where paramedics were waiting.

"They made it sound worse than it was," Torrent said.

Nevertheless, the effort and manpower spent searching for him weren't lost on Torrent.

"I am very grateful to all the first responders out there looking for me and to all the friends waiting for me on the dock," he said. "Some days I feel that if I disappeared, no one would care, but I was proved wrong."

As for the tangled bird responsible for the ordeal, "He flew away just fine," Torrent said.

"This joint effort, search and rescue case features a great message to the public on the importance of wearing a life jacket every time you set out on the water," said Capt. Matthew Thompson, commander of Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg.

It also exemplifies the coordination that occurs among agencies when they're called into service, he said.

Agencies involved in the rescue included the Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Coast Guard Station Sand Key, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Pasco Sheriff's marine and aviation units, the Port Richey Police Department and the Port Richey Fire Department.