On Sunday, the Coast Guard pulled three boats from the waters off Louisiana; according to officials, two of the boaters were “fending off sharks” when help arrived.
The group was out fishing when their 24-foot boat capsized around 10 a.m. on Saturday and a family member reported them missing that night, according to a statement from the Coast Guard released on Monday.
The boat crew “witnessed two of the boaters fending against sharks,” along with damage to both boaters’ hands, when crews on a helicopter and a 45-foot Coast Guard boat discovered them in the sea at around 2:00 PM on Sunday, according to the Coast Guard.
The three were rescued from the water about 25 miles south of New Orleans, off Empire, Louisiana.
The three were transferred to a hospital in New Orleans where they were stable after being rescued using a boat and a helicopter, according to the Coast Guard.
According to Coast Guard Petty Officer Ryan Graves, the sharks were blacktips.
The species can reach a maximum length of around 6 feet and is a year-round resident in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
According to the Coast Guard, the successful rescue was made possible by the relative who reported the boaters as being overdue and the fact that everyone was wearing life jackets.
Because of how long they were in the water, Graves added that the boaters also suffered from various degrees of hypothermia.