PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Two missing North Carolina boaters have been found after being lost at sea, the U.S. Coast Guard reports.
Officials said 65-year-old Kevin Hyde and 76-year-old Joe Ditomasso were last in contact with family and friends on Dec. 3, 2022, when they departed Oregon Inlet, North Carolina. Hyde and Ditomasso were traveling aboard Atrevida II from Cape May, New Jersey to Marathon, Florida.
The coast guard said their boat, The Atrevida II, was found to be without fuel and power, rendering their radios and navigation equipment inoperable. Hyde and Ditomasso gained the attention of the Silver Muna crew by waving their arms and a flag.
Hyde, Ditomasso, and a pet dog were brought aboard Silver Muna at 4:18 p.m. They were evaluated by the vessel’s medical staff with no immediate concerns.
“This is an excellent example of the maritime community’s combined efforts to ensure safety of life at sea,” Cmdr. Daniel Schrader, a spokesperson for Coast Guard Atlantic Area, said. “We are overjoyed with the outcome of the case and look forward to reuniting Mr. Hyde and Mr. Ditomasso with their family and friends. We also want to highlight the importance of proper safety equipment and preparedness when going to sea. Having an emergency position indicating radio beacon, or ‘EPIRB’, allows mariners to immediately make contact with first responders in an emergency.”
Search and Rescue assets involved in this effort included:
- Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City HC-130 Hercules airplane and MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews
- A Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater HC-130 Hercules airplane crew
- A Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crew
- A Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew
- USCGC Oak (WLB 211), homeported in Newport, Rhode Island
- USCGC Richard Snyder (WPC 1121), homeported in Atlantic City, North Carolina
- USS San Jacinto (CG 56), homeported in Norfolk, Virginia
- Multiple commercial and recreational vessels along the U.S. eastern seaboard
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