Fishermen rogue wave: A “rogue wave” might have taken out the boat of four fishermen who went missing over the weekend in the Gulf of Mexico near Texas, the sole survivor of the ordeal said.
The U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday that it suspended the search for the men, who were on the 50-foot Nite Owl, which was tied to an oil rig in the Gulf, during a patch of bad weather, reported The Associated Press.
John Reynolds, the only survivor, said that “a rogue wave, a freak wave or something hit the side of the boat,” destroying the vessel.
He was rescued after he was found clinging to a life raft for around two hours, reported the Beaumont Enterprise.
Petty Officer Richard Brahm told the paper that the Coast Guard searched around 5,400 square miles before calling off the rescue effort.
“We’re still looking for any help from the public, anybody who sees anything,” Brahm said.
Larry Moore, the owner of the fishing vessel, told the paper that “a rogue wave tore the wheel house and canopy off the boat,” and added that the crew was asleep when it happened.
Reynolds fired a flare when a Coast Guard aircraft flew over him. The crew saw the light and sent a helicopter to rescue him.
“I want to say how good a job they did getting me out of the water,” he told UPI. “It was a terrible ordeal.”
Rogue waves, oftentimes called freak waves or monster waves, can take place out at sea seemingly at random. They can sometimes reach as high as 100-feet-tall and put ships in great peril.
Massive waves are common in the Bay of Biscay, located between France and Spain.
Earlier this month, a rogue wave reportedly capsized a 29-foot row boat around 380 nautical miles off Puerto Rico.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
