Nathan and Kim Maker are no strangers to scuba diving. In fact, the Oklahoma couple are known to dive often. Still, even the most trained professionals can find themselves in life-threatening situations. That was certainly the case for this couple during a recent scuba diving adventure off the coast of Texas. During an outing with a group, a rather nasty storm made its way in their direction.
Despite the safety the boat provided the divers, it wasn’t enough. Waves engulfed many of them, including Nathan and Kim. While everyone else managed to fight their way back to safety, the storm was too much for the couple. Even inflating their safety devices wasn’t enough to keep them from being pulled under and away, prompting a rescue mission for the scuba diving couple.
This harrowing event took place on a Wednesday morning. By 7 p.m. that night, the Coast Guard was started to take action. The exhaustive search had rescuers covering a 1,656 sq. mile-grid in the Gulf of Mexico. But after 36 hours of searching, it seemed that there was no hope.
Rescue Mission to Save Scuba Diving Couple Narrowly Avoids Ending in Tragedy
At the 36-hour mark, Nathan’s uncle, Charles Owen, was given an update — and not the one he wanted to hear. Charles says that the authorities told him they’d be calling off their search soon, noting they had looked over the entire grid.
But that’s exactly when a miracle happened. As a plane made its last rounds, those onboard took note of something in the water.
“Nathan and Kim had their diving flashlights and they were doing the S.O.S. to point at the plane’s bottom,” Charles explains, later adding, “It’s a miracle.”
Scuba Diving Couple Recall Their Harrowing 38-Hours in the Gulf of Mexico
As a result, both Nathan and Kim are back home. In order to survive the 38 hours in the water, they had to keep swimming to avoid freezing to death. During that time, Kim says that Nathan made a game out of it in order to keep their spirits as high as possible.
As a result of this ordeal, both of them were dehydrated and suffered from jellyfish stings. Meanwhile, Kim caught an infection and Nathan narrowly avoided a diabetic coma. In the end, though, they couldn’t be more grateful to have survived. And, as you can imagine, their friends and family feel the same way.
“We thank everybody for their concerns and their prayers,” Charles shares. “This miracle was performed by the Coast Guard at God’s direction.”
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