Coast Guard rescues stranded mariners near Dunedin Causeway

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 05/02/2017 10:37 AM EDT

united states coast guard 

News Release  

May 2, 2017
U.S. Coast Guard 7th District PA Detachment Tampa Bay
Contact: Coast Guard PA Detachment Tampa Bay
(305) 965-4672

Coast Guard rescues stranded mariners near Dunedin Causeway

Coast Guard Seaman Nolan Wright, a 29-foot Response Boat Small-II crew member from Station Sand Key, assist kayakers near the Dunedin (Florida) Causeway, Monday, May 1, 2017. The mariners were stranded on a spoil island and were unable to paddle back to land due to weather. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Cristobal Lopez) Coast Guard Seaman Nolan Wright, a 29-foot Response Boat Small-II crew member from Station Sand Key, assist kayakers near the Dunedin (Florida) Causeway, Monday, May 1, 2017. The mariners were stranded on a spoil island and were unable to paddle back to land due to weather. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Cristobal Lopez)

Editors' Note: Click on images to download high resolution version.

DUNEDIN, Fla. — The Coast Guard rescued two women and a 3-year-old girl Monday after they became stranded on a spoil island near the Dunedin Causeway.

Rescued were Tampa natives, Gia Oliva, 29, her daughter, and Allison Beaseman, 31.

At 6 p.m. watch standers at Coast Guard Station Sand Key received a call from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stating Oliva and Beaseman had taken a kayak and paddle board to a spoil island and were unable to transit back to shore. Oliva was kayaking with her 3-year-old daughter.

A 29-foot Response Boat Small-II crew from Station Sand Key launched, arrived on scene and transported the women, child and their watercrafts to Marker 1 Marina in Dunedin.

“We see cases like this far too often,"said Petty Officer 2nd Class Cristobal Lopez, a crew member at Station Sand Key. “All we ask is for mariners to please make sure to check the weather prior to enjoying any water sport."

The women reported no injuries and said they learned a valuable lesson.

"We are definitely going to be prepared from now on," said Oliva.

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