A former college football star was rescued after being stranded in his kayak in the Gulf of Mexico for 11 hours after rescue helicopters initially missed him.
Chis Smelley, a former University of South Carolina quarterback, went out alone to fish off the coast of Grayton Beach, Florida, around 8:30 a.m. Thursday when he drifted about eight miles from shore.
Smelley, 37, shared WBRC that the ‘whirling’ wind in the water was a lot stronger than he had expected.
‘My body was sitting upright and I was basically just a big sail. “I gave it everything I could and there was a long period where I was at the mercy of the wind,” he said.
Chis Smelley, 37, went out alone to fish off the coast of Grayton Beach, Florida, around 8:30 a.m. Thursday when he drifted about eight miles offshore
Smelley can only be seen on images in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. Rescue helicopters initially did not see him because he was wearing dark clothing in a dark blue kayak
After his wife became concerned, she called the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, which teamed up with the U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife officials to search for him.
Smelley, who said he feels “very comfortable in the ocean,” had just caught a fish when he noticed how far off he went.
‘I wouldn’t say I was scared per se, but there was sometimes a situation, especially when the sun was setting, and I had seen the rescue helicopters flying very close over me a few times, but they didn’t see me, that I thought that I would spend the night in the ocean,” he said.
He was wearing dark clothing in his dark blue kayak, which made him harder to see.
Just before the helicopters returned and finally spotted him, Smelley said he was about to clean the fish he had caught in an attempt to give him enough energy to make it back to shore under his own power.
Video of the rescue shows Smelley in mid-water on the small boat as he tries to wave the rescuers down.
Once they spotted him, a shot from the helicopter shows a man preparing just before sinking into the water to save Smelley.
After he was rescued, Coast Guard officials returned him to shore where he received a medical evaluation.
When rescuers spotted him, a man readied himself moments before lowering himself into the water to rescue Smelley 11 hours later.
Smelley said he learned his lesson after admitting he went into the water without a life jacket or phone. (photo: his kayak)
Smelley played quarterback for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks from 2006 to 2008
Although he was in the water for hours, Smelley was not dehydrated or injured, but remained sunburned.
After he was rescued, a photo of law enforcement vehicles was also seen on shore.
Smelley, who is now the head football coach at Sylacauga High School in Alabama, said he learned his lesson after admitting to going into the water without a life jacket or phone.
His wife was happy that he came home that evening, but was a little angry with him, ‘in a loving way’.
Smelley said he was tempted to go fishing the next morning, but decided against it. He, his wife and his children still plan to visit the beach that has become a favorite spot for the whole family over the years.
“I wish there was a story about a giant shark dragging me out or me fighting a sea monster – but it was really just nature – it was just the wind,” Smelley said jokingly.
He played for the South Carolina Gamecocks from 2006 to 2008 and also played baseball for the University of Alabama from 2009 to 2010.