Chris Smelley, former University of South Carolina quarterback, was rescued after being stranded for 11 hours while fishing in a kayak.
On Thursday, Chris officially became a “missing person” when he ended up stranded at sea. What started as a wholesome, early morning fishing trip quickly escalated into a nightmare for the football star.
During a Good Day Alabama Extra, Chris said, “I was in a big, heavy kayak. And I got out there and right off the shore, the wind was just whipping and a lot stronger than it was at shore.”
Apparently, the wind pushed him nearly eight miles off the coast of Grayton Beach, Florida.
“I wish there was a story that a giant shark dragged me out or I was battling a sea monster – but it was really just nature – it was just the wind,” he said. “My body was sitting up tall and I was basically just a big sail. I was giving it everything I could and there was a long period of time where I was at the mercy of the wind.”
It wasn’t until 11 hours later that Chris was finally discovered and rescued. This is thanks to his wife, who called the police after hours passed without her husband’s return. Immediately, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Coast Guard, and wildlife officials searched for him in the Gulf of Mexico.
Chris Smelley’s Rescue From the Gulf of Mexico
Choppers eventually found Chris right before sunset. However, he frantically waved them down from his kayak for quite some time before they finally noticed him.
“I wouldn’t say I was necessarily scared, but there [were] sometimes … especially as the sun started going down, and I had seen the rescue helicopters fly over me pretty close by a few times but they didn’t see me, that I thought I was going to spend the night in the ocean,” he said.
“So, I had just caught a fish and was preparing to clean it to give me some energy to try to keep paddling back in when the rescue helicopter pulled in.”
Thankfully, Chris ended up being just fine, with only a bit of sunburn and no signs of dehydration. He reunited with his relieved yet upset wife, saying he definitely learned his lesson.