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Heart-pounding video has been released showing the daring rescue of two divers who were caught by fierce, deadly waters near a Caribbean island during Hurricane Erin.
The storm rapidly intensified into a catastrophic Category 5 monster over the weekend before slightly weakening to a Category 4 on Saturday evening.
The hurricane has been pushing westward across the Atlantic with fierce winds reaching 160 mph, and it could produce waves over 30 feet depending on its size.
The Virgin Islands are already bearing the brunt of the storm, as the Erin unleashes punishing winds and relentless downpours across the region.
On Saturday afternoon, the two divers were swept away by the rough waters off St. Croix, the largest of the Virgin Islands, but were eventually saved.
The high-risk rescue, initially reported by The Virgin Islands Consortium, displays the moment the men were pulled from the chaotic sea after failing to return to their boat amid the chaos of Erin.
The two men ventured roughly seven miles north of St. Croix with a third companion on Saturday morning, according to the outlet.
Before diving, they had decided on a specific time to regroup in case of separation. When two divers did not return on time, their friend quickly alerted authorities.
Shortly after 1:30 pm, the US Coast Guard launched a search operation, involving both St. Croix Rescue and the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR).
Heart-stopping footage captured the dramatic rescue of two divers who were swept away in the deadly, turbulent waters of St. Croix on Saturday afternoon amid Hurricane Erin
Hurricane Erin rapidly intensified into a catastrophic Category 5 monster over the weekend, barreling west across the Atlantic with sustained winds of 160 mph and the potential to generate waves exceeding 30 feet, depending on the storm’s size
‘A helicopter was on the way to assist,’ said Jason Henry of St. Croix Rescue told the outlet. ‘However, we found them before the chopper arrived.’
In the rescue footage, the crew’s boat is seen crashing over the choppy waves, momentarily airborne as it leaps beneath a fading blue-gray sky – the unmistakable warning of a storm closing in.
But thanks to GPS tracking data, rescue crews pinpointed the men’s location at sea around 3.24pm.
The harrowing footage shows two men tiny against the vast, gloomy ocean bobbing helplessly atop the violent waves.
A rescuer threw the men a yellow rope attached to a platform which the men managed to grab and rescuers pulled them in, ultimately bringing them back to safety.
Once rescued, the divers told officials they couldn’t get back onto their vessel because of the high waves, and that the rough currents caused them to drift away, according to the outlet.
The National Weather Service and local authorities continue to warn residents to avoid the ocean during the storm.
Just after 1.30pm, the the US Coast Guard activated both St. Croix Rescue and the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) to aid in the search for the divers
The men managed to grab onto the platform attached to a rope, and rescuers pulled them in, ultimately bringing them back to safety
Swells from the hurricane are expected to cause ‘life-threatening surf and rip currents’ on the East Coast, as well as the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas and Bermuda.
Erin was upgraded from a tropical storm to a Category-5 hurricane – with winds exceeding 157mph – in just 24 hours.
‘By the middle of next week, Erin is forecast to at least double or triple in size, which will result in rough ocean conditions over the Western Atlantic,’ the National Hurricane Center said.
Outer bands of the storm are expected to produce heavy rainfall until Sunday, with around two to four inches of rainfall. In some areas, around six inches is expected.
‘Locally considerable flash and urban flooding, along with landslides or mudslides, are possible,’ according to the NHC.
Hurricane Erin is expected to continue to strengthen, curving toward the East Coast and Bermuda.
‘Fluctuations in intensity are expected for the rest of the weekend,’ the hurricane center said.
AccuWeather warned that the worst-case scenario would see Erin guided directly onshore, ‘packing high winds, flooding rain and storm surge flooding’.
Once rescued, the divers told officials they couldn’t get back onto their vessel because of the high waves, and that the rough currents caused them to drift away
Swells from the hurricane are expected to cause ‘life-threatening surf and rip currents’ on the East Coast, as well as the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico (pictured), Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas and Bermuda
Meteorologist Max Schuster shared on X that while the odds of a US landfall are low, ‘it cannot be ruled out still’.
‘Hurricane Erin has dropped 80mb of pressure in less than 24 hours,’ he wrote early Saturday afternoon, accompanied by a shocked-face emoji.
Erin formed on August 15, becoming the first of the Atlantic season after four tropical storms.
The season runs from June to November, with the peak of the Atlantic season hitting in September.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in May that they were predicting an ‘above average’ season that would likely result in more named storms than there were in 2024, when 18 such storms were tracked.
