Sheriff’s Office Detective saves boater

Quick thinking and alert boating discipline helped an off-duty Sheriff’s Office detective and his wife save the life of an overboard boater Wednesday afternoon.

Upper Keys Det. Sgt. Mark Coleman, who is also the Sheriff’s Office Dive Team leader, was planning on going kiteboarding with his wife, Monroe County spokeswoman Cammy Clark, Wednesday afternoon in the bayside waters off Islamorada. Rain rolled in and the couple decided to take their boat back when they spotted an overturned catamaran while heading toward Snake Creek. Moving closer, Coleman spotted a man clinging to the sail. The man yelled that he was OK, but his friend, Tommy, had fallen overboard and was not in sight.

Coleman called the Coast Guard and relayed the information. He then drove his boat upwind and began searching. Coleman and Cammy found Tommy — the names of the men were not immediately available — about 20 minutes later in rough seas without a life jacket.

The man was weary and grateful as he was provided a warm blanket and water. He stated he was happy he hadn’t fallen overboard in the frigid waters of his native Denmark.

The Coast Guard arrived shortly thereafter as Coleman returned to the catamaran. Both men were loaded onto a Coast Guard response boat and taken to Coast Guard Station Islamorada. The two men had been sailing and rolled over due to the fast-moving storms that blew through the area, Coleman said. There were no serious injuries reported.

“It just shows that it pays to be alert and vigilant while on the water,” Coleman said. “It’s the responsibility of every boater to constantly be aware of your surroundings and to help those in distress.”

Coleman has lived in the Keys and been a member of the Sheriff’s Office for more than 20 years. Clark is also a longtime Keys resident. The couple lives in Islamorada.

“I’m pretty sure the men would have been out in the water all night if not for Mark’s eagle eyes,” Clark said.

The Coast Guard is the investigating agency for the incident.

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