VIDEO: Irish fisherman saved from waters off Alaska

The US Coast Guard hoists a 35-year-old Cork man to safety after he fell into icy waters without a survival suit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEb1cVL9AYM

A CORK NATIVE is recovering from an incident last week in which he fell overboard from a fishing vessel in icy waters off Alaska – while not wearing a survival suit to keep up his temperature.

The man, named by the Irish Examiner as 35-year-old James McCarthy from Co Cork, was fishing on the FV Stella when he fell overboard in the treacherous waters of the Shelikof Strait.

He was in the waters – with a temperature of just 3.1°C – for almost half an hour before being hauled out.

Statistically, someone exposed to waters of that temperature would usually not recover from exposure longer than 15 minutes.

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.

Support us Learn More