AP Interview: Coast Guard swimmer says he fought waves, darkness to rescue 16 people from ocean
Josh Law was lowered into rough seas and used the buddy tow technique as the Coast Guard searched for 11 missing people.
- On Friday, Oct. 16, a U.S. Coast Guard crew rescued 16 people from a capsized boat 140 miles off the coast of Mexico's Baja peninsula, with rescue swimmer Josh Law personally pulling survivors from the water.
- Responding to a 1 a.m. mayday call on Oct. 16, Lieutenant Miyako Miller navigated the helicopter from the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station in Ventura, Calif., using night vision goggles and stars to locate survivors.
- Battling 6 to 8-foot waves for 90 minutes, Law used a "buddy tow" technique to secure survivors near Guadalupe Island, a biosphere reserve known for great white sharks.
- The crew flew survivors to San Diego, where Law treated three people for wounds "consistent with shark bites"; U.S. officials confirmed nearly half of those rescued have since been returned to Mexico.
- Late Sunday, the Coast Guard called off its search for 11 missing individuals; the incident on a route frequented by migrant smugglers remains under federal investigation.
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AP Interview: Coast Guard swimmer says he fought waves, darkness to rescue 16 people from ocean – WTOP News
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Strapped into a harness, Josh Law was lowered from a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter into the rough Pacific Ocean in the pitch black night, far off the Mexican coast. The force of the helicopter blades pummeled the water, whipping up spray and turbulence. The Coast Guard rescue swimmer couldn’t hear anything...
AP Interview: Coast Guard swimmer says he fought waves, darkness to re
This photo made with a smartphone shows U.S. Coast Guard officer Josh Law, left, and lieutenant Miyako Miller standing in front of a rescue helicopter at the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station in Ventura, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)
Winnipeg Free Press
AP Interview: Coast Guard swimmer says he fought waves, darkness to rescue 16 people from ocean
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Strapped into a harness, Josh Law was lowered from a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter into the rough Pacific Ocean in the pitch black night, far off the Mexican coast.
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