Parachute Without A Skydiver
If you’ve spent much time looking skyward around here on sunny days, you’ve probably enjoyed watching the parachutes float down to earth. Santa Claus has even landed on our beach under canopy.
This morning Oak Island Water Rescue, Oak Island Fire Department, Oak Island Police Department, and multiple law enforcement marine patrol agencies were alerted for a reported skydiver who landed in the marsh due to a witness seeing the parachute go down in the water. Thankfully it was just the chute.
Responding agencies were notified by the airport that a skydiver had released a cutaway chute (they do that if there’s a problem with the primary parachute and they need to deploy their reserve chute) and the skydiver was safely on the ground. The response was cancelled, and thankfully so.
In years past, we have rescued a skydiver in the marsh and responded to similar calls, so that’s something we must be prepared for. Our flat bottom aluminum jon boat (Boat 4492) can be a good craft to get into the smaller creeks of the marsh… if the tide is up. If the tide is low, it is a bit more complicated and might require the assistance of the airboat from The Sheriff’s Office.
