Three men - a Belizean, a German, and an American - were rescued by the Belize Coast Guard on Saturday after their vessel sank somewhere south of Ranguana Caye. The trio was stuck at sea for four hours and it wasn't until they swam to a location known as 'third reef' that they were able to send a distress signal via their Garmin device. This device is a two-way communicator that works where cellphones don't, using a satellite network to send and receive data.
The signal was picked up by the International Emergency Response Centre in Miami and relayed to the Belize Coast Guard Headquarters. The BCG's initial search located the semi submerged vessel but they did not find anybody in the immediate area. An extended search located the three men holding on to the reef patch.
The coast guard described it as a challenging, but successful, operation in rough seas with no direct communication with the persons in distress.
