A man was rescued hours after falling into the Pacific Ocean when his own brother spotted him during rescue efforts
Credit: Getty; AP Photo/Long Beach Press-Telegram, Cristina Salvador
NEED TO KNOW
- A 58-year-old man was at a crossroads in his life when he fell into the Pacific Ocean
- A rescue effort was launched soon after, and his brother joined those trying to find him
- Hours later, his brother did indeed find him, bobbing in the middle of the ocean
Craig McCabe was already slipping beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean when, miles away, his brother caught sight of something almost impossible to see: his head, bobbing alone in open water.
McCabe's rescue by his brother made headlines in 2006 when, as he described to PEOPLE, he set out on Jan. 12 from Marina del Rey aboard his 65-foot yacht, alone and at a crossroads in his life. A successful corporate lawyer, the then-58-year-old was weighing whether to stay in high-paying legal work or return to representing abused children, a field he had once found deeply meaningful.
“I'd made up my mind,” he told PEOPLE, “to make more money.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Credit: Getty
But the decision would become irrelevant within moments. While leaning over the side of the yacht, McCabe lost his balance and fell into the ocean.
“Suddenly,” he said, “I was in the water.”
The boat continued forward without him, leaving him stranded in the open sea. With no immediate rescue, McCabe began swimming toward a buoy he estimated was about three-quarters of a mile away.
“After an hour and a half, I got really worried,” he told PEOPLE.
As exhaustion set in, he spotted a half-inflated party balloon floating nearby. He grabbed it and used it to stay afloat while continuing to move through the water. But as the balloon slowly deflated, his strength began to fade.
“I started going under,” McCabe said. “I was drowning.”
While McCabe fought to stay alive, his brother, Lance McCabe, 56, was already trying to locate him. Lance received a call from a friend who had heard reports of a boat incident near Santa Catalina Island, roughly 30 miles offshore. After confirming with the Coast Guard that Craig’s vessel was involved, Lance immediately borrowed a speedboat and headed out to search.
What followed was a desperate sweep across miles of open ocean. Then, against all odds, Lance saw something small in the water — a distant, barely visible shape.
It was Craig.
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
Astoundingly, Lance and a friend steered toward the spot, dove into the water and pulled him aboard their boat just as he was slipping under.
Speaking to PEOPLE in its 2006 report, Lance described the moment as a near-miracle: Craig was just a “speck in an empty ocean,” barely visible amid endless water.
McCabe was suffering from hypothermia but remained conscious during the rescue. He was transported to a hospital, where he recovered quickly.
The experience, he later said, changed his outlook entirely. And during his recovery in the hospital, McCabe made a major life decision: he chose to return to child advocacy work rather than remain solely in corporate law.
Read the full article here