TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A couple and their four dogs were rescued after getting stranded in the Everglades on Thursday afternoon. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office rescued the lost adults after they went on a motorboat excursion on the Halfway Creek trail. “It’s like a needle in a needle stack. The good part is in that area in Big Cypress is that it’s mostly green. So they stood out,” said Josh White, the pilot during the rescue told
NBC affiliate WBBH . Officials were able to use their phone signal to locate them. The couple and their dogs were partially covered by mangroves, but were still able to be found, as they were in an open area. The sheriff’s office’s Aviation Unit rappelled down and examined them, as they helped North Collier
fire crews navigate their mudboat to find them and give them a near-hour trek back to safety. “Since they had four dogs on board, they didn’t want to leave the dogs, and we didn’t want to leave the boat either,” White said. “So we had the rescue specialist — we decided the best idea was to help them get out on their own boat.” WBBH said all aboard the stranded boat were safely brought to shore with no injuries.