An Arcadia couple was stranded in the open Gulf of Mexico for more than six hours after their boat’s anchor failed while they were scuba diving about five miles offshore near Boca Grande.
Antonio “Tony” Rivera and Brianna Rutledge surfaced from their dive around 2:30 p.m. to discover their unattended vessel had drifted away, apparently due to strong northeast winds of 15-20 knots and seas building to 3-5 feet under a Small Craft Advisory.
The pair swam roughly 1.5 miles to a crab-trap buoy closer to shore, where they clung for hours as night fell. They used a dive light and surface marker buoy to signal for help, which was eventually spotted by rescuers.
Both were pulled to safety and declined medical transport. They later described praying for rescue and fearing the worst during the ordeal.
No serious injuries were reported. The incident remains under review by local authorities.
