Pasan Nanayakkara
The sea can be a dangerous and scary place, especially when you’re stranded and alone. That’s exactly what happened to Scott Thompson, a boater from Southern California, when he fell off his boat, the Miss Grace, in the Santa Barbara Channel. He was left floating in the cold, dark water with no land in sight and only his shorts and t-shirt to keep him warm.
Scott knew he had to keep going, not just for himself, but for his family. He was motivated by the thought of seeing them again and terrified of leaving them alone. But the odds were against him. The water was freezing cold and he was up against strong currents and rough waves.
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Just when he thought he couldn’t go on, a friendly harbor seal appeared. The seal went underneath him and nudged him, giving him the encouragement he needed to keep swimming. “It was like a dog comes up and nudges your leg,” Scott told ABC.
The seal stayed with him for several hours, keeping him afloat and warm until he was finally rescued by the Coast Guard. “They thawed him out and warmed him up,” reads the fundraising page set up to repair his boat. “In our eyes, he is a true legend.
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The fact that he was able to endure the harsh Pacific Ocean conditions and extreme cold for several hours is nothing short of a miracle.”
Scott spent the night in the hospital and was diagnosed with hypothermia, rhabdomyolysis, and dehydration, but he survived. He is now home with his family, sore, exhausted, but grateful to be alive. A GoFundMe page was set up to repair the damage to his boat, and nearly $13,000 has been donated so far.
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This story is a reminder of the power of the human spirit and the kindness of animals. Despite the odds, Scott never gave up. And even in the middle of the ocean, he found a friend in a seal. This miraculous story of survival shows that even in the darkest of times, there is always hope.
