An Alabama man and former college football player recalls a harrowing kayak trip that left him stranded at sea for 11 hours.
On Friday, former University of South Carolina running back Chris Smelley spoke with local Alabama Fox station WBRC about his Thursday fishing trip that turned into a missing person case.
According to the affiliate station, Smelley, 37, took his kayak off the coast of Grayton Beach, Fla., around 8:30 a.m. Thursday morning to go fishing. However, a strong wind picked up after a few minutes and he quickly found himself seven to eight miles from shore with no prospect of turning back, he said.
“I was in a big, heavy kayak. And I got out there and pulled off shore, the wind was just whipping and a lot stronger than it was on shore,” recalled Smelley, who played for the Gamecocks from 2006-08 in WBRC . “I wish there was a story that a giant shark pulled me out or that I fought a sea nemani – but really it was just nature – it was just the wind.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up to date with the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to interesting human interest stories.
“My body was upright, but I was actually just a big sail,” he added. “I was doing my best and for a long time I was at the mercy of the wind.”
Smelley’s wife became concerned after he didn’t return for several hours, and according to WCNC Charlotte, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office called in the Coast Guard to help search for the former linebacker.
11 stories of incredible survival at sea
“We’re at the beach a lot and I’ve done a lot of fishing and I’m really comfortable in the ocean,” Smelley told WBRC. “I wouldn’t say I was necessarily scared, but there were moments where, especially as the sun started to set, and I saw the rescue helicopters fly over me quite close a few times, but they didn’t see me, that I thought I was going to spend the night in the ocean.”
“I had just caught a fish and was about to clean it to get some energy to try to keep paddling when the rescue helicopter arrived,” he added.
After 11 a.m., Coast Guard helicopters located Smelley, brought him back to shore and gave him a quick medical evaluation, the station reported. He wasn’t dehydrated or injured — just sunburned, Smelley said.
Bachelor in ParadiseAaron S. recalls a ‘real life or death scenario’ lost at sea with Brayden Bowers
Smelley, who is the head coach at Sylacauga High School in Alabama, said his wife won’t let him forget the incident anytime soon — especially since he tried to go fishing again the next morning.
“Yeah, she was a bit upset at first – in a loving way,” he joked. “But yeah, I went out without a phone and a life jacket, so I think I learned a lesson in understanding that safety is at the top of your mind when you go out in a situation like that.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education