Knocked Overboard, Boater Swims 5 Miles to Safety

Scott Thompson recounted his harrowing Jan. 27 surf trip out to the Channel Islands off the coast of Ventura County in a recent blog post. Thompson, an experienced urchin diver, decided to head out to Santa Cruz Island, get some surfing in and spend the night on his 22’ (6.71 m) Anderson boat Miss Grace.

Rough Seas Ahead

Frustrated by the water conditions on the way home, Thompson decided to turnaround and head back to the harbor in Oxnard, Calif., where he left for the trip. Thompson said he went to the starboard side of the boat to go to the bathroom a wave slapped the boat, causing him to lose his balance and fall into the water. The bigger problem was the boat still in gear.

“When I went to try to pull myself back aboard, Miss Grace wasn’t there. She was chugging towards the harbor because I hadn’t taken it out of gear,” Thompson wrote. “That’s when I realized, ‘Hey Dude, you’re in trouble.’ My first reaction was, ‘I’m gonna catch my boat!’ So, I just started swimming after it as hard as I could, but after about a minute I saw that it was just getting further and further away and I had the sinking realization that I wasn’t going to catch it.”

The water in the Santa Barbara Channel is especially cold in the winter and a large Great White shark population. Thompson was wearing just a T-shirt and shorts when he fell overboard.

Few Good Options

Thompson was initially angry with himself, then drew on his fire service training and floated on his back to consider his options. Looking around, Thompson said he didn’t see any boats and swimming back to the beach was too far. Thompson spotted the oil Platform Gail and used the current to help get him there.

“(I) thought, that’s going to be one hell of a swim, but I have two choices: swim there or give up and die,” Thompson wrote. “Now, my surfer, diver, waterman instinct kicked in.”

Overcoming Negative Thoughts

Thompson said a couple minutes into his swim toward the platform, he started using a breaststroke to conserve energy. During the five-hour swim, hypothermia started to set in as he tried to keep negative thoughts out of his head.

“At one point I started to think about my boat, ‘What am I going to do if my boat is destroyed? That’s my livelihood!’ Then I would just laugh at myself because I had much bigger problems,” Thompson wrote. “That went on for what seemed like eons, especially after the sun went down, and it got dark.

“I had no idea what time it was. All I could see were the lights on the platform. I felt like I was a boat trying to steer the course and knew that I would get there eventually. I was getting closer and even though that was a real spirit lifter, I was still having negative thoughts. Above all, I was feeling very lonely and isolated.”

The Curious Seal

As Thompson swam toward Platform Gail, heard a noise in the water that he thought was a shark. It turns out the noise was a curious young seal.

“I had never been so overwhelmed with joy to see another living creature in my life,” Thompson wrote. “I was like, ‘Oh my God! There is something out here with me that is alive.’”

Thompson claimed the seal stayed with him until he got closer the platform, even nudging Thompson when he stopped swimming and treaded water to get his bearings. “That really helped me because it took my mind off my situation because I was starting to get tired and it gave me something else to focus on,” he wrote.

Climbing the Oil Platform

Thompson said it was the hum of a diesel engine that made him realize he had reached the oil platform 9 miles off the coast. Screaming for help, Thompson quickly recognized it wouldn’t be heard over the machinery and waves. He spotted a ladder and felt it was a last chance for survival.

“The ladder was only 50’ (15.24 m) away, but it seemed like 10 miles away. Then, and I don’t know if I’ll ever wrap my mind around this, a big surge came. When I felt the water on my back, I knew it was going right towards the ladder. It was now or never,” he wrote. “I don’t know if it was divine intervention, or dumb luck, but it felt like the hand of God picked me up and placed me on that ladder.”

Climbing the stairs on his hands and knees, Thompson got to a metal landing where he laid on his back. “Now, the exhaustion, the cold, and the shock—everything just set in all at once. I felt like I got hit by a bus. I started thinking, ‘Is anyone even here?’” he wrote.

He started walking looking for a phone or an alarm when Thompson came across a glass window with a light on inside. Thompson pounded on the glass, startling the worker, who opened the door to questions of “Who are you?” and “What’s going on?”

A medic on the platform got Thompson hot coffee and into a warm shower to increase his body temperature. They wrapped the castaway in towels to keep him warm until the U.S. Coast Guard arrived, taking him for treatment at a hospital in Oxnard. Thompson was not only dehydrated, but he was also nauseous from the saltwater he swallowed during the ordeal.

Finding Miss Grace

Despite his life and death situation, Thompson’s missing boat was never far from his mind. One the Coast Guard started asking about the boat, Thompson was a member of TowBoatU.S. and had recently installed a Vessel Monitoring System, which allowed the boat to be tracked.

Paul Amaral, who owns the TowBoatU.S. in Ventura, tracked the boat to the front side of Anacapa at Frenchie’s Cove, towing it back to the Channel Islands Harbor. Other than the drive being sheared off and some fiberglass damage, the boat was no worse for wear.

A GoFundMe organized by friend Rose Brown has raised nearly $15,000 to pay for the repairs as of February 22.

Survivor’s Guilt

Hours after emerging from the experience, Thompson was beating himself up for the preventable incident. Even after arriving home and hugging the wife and kids before going to bed and falling into a deep sleep.

One of Thompson’s friends reminded him it was an accident and “that’s why the word is in the dictionary.” But what made the difference for Thompson was when his old fire captain showed up at his house, got out of his car with a lifejacket and handed it to Thompson. Both shared a big laugh and a long hug.

“After my big swim, a light just went off in my head, I realized that it’s time to start living, and tie up all the loose ends in my life,” Thompson wrote. “I’m kind of a computer game nerd at heart and I guess I got the high score, an extra life, and made it to the bonus round.”