Life jackets, kill switch lanyard credited in safety of overboard jet skiers rescued from water near Kemah
The Coast Guard rescued two people who fell off their jet ski near Kemah, Texas, Saturday.
Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders received a report on VHF-FM channel 16 at 6:37 p.m. from a good Samaritan who saw a man and woman fall off their jet ski and drift toward the channel. The people were waving their arms as the current swept them out; both were wearing life jackets.
Watchstanders diverted a Coast Guard Station Houston 29-foot Response Boat-Small crew that was already underway in the vicinity.
The boat crew arrived on scene and pulled the couple from the water by 6:40 p.m. Neither was injured. The crew placed the jet ski in tow and transported the man and woman safely to Blue Marlin Marina.
“The jet skiers made two key decisions that helped save their lives: they wore life jackets and a kill switch lanyard,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Allan-Cesar Shields, operations unit controller, Sector Houston-Galveston. “Life jackets ensure you can stay afloat if you fall overboard, while a kill switch shuts off your jet ski or boat’s engine, minimizing the danger to anyone in the water.”
