Babylon, NY – What started as a peaceful morning swim at Cedar Beach turned into a fight for survival for Dan Ho, a 63-year-old resident of Copiague.
On Monday morning, Ho was pulled out into the treacherous waters of the Atlantic Ocean, leading to a five-hour ordeal battling the current before help arrived. Rip current warnings have been issued along the east coast earlier in the week.
At approximately 5 a.m., Ho swam at Cedar Beach in Babylon.
According to police, the currents in the area were stronger than expected, and they quickly swept him farther out into the open ocean. Trapped and treading water, Ho faced an arduous struggle to stay afloat.
Officers responding to the rescue said Ho’s resourcefulness played a critical role in his eventual rescue. After nearly five hours of enduring the relentless currents, Ho stumbled upon a broken fishing pole floating in the water. He ingeniously devised a makeshift distress signal by tying his shirt to the pole and waving it in the air, hoping to catch the attention of passing vessels.
Approximately 2 ½ miles south of his original entry point, Ho’s tenacity caught the attention of Jim Hohorst and Michael Ross aboard the 2007 Albin Tropical Soul. The vigilant boaters spotted Ho, recognizing the urgency of the situation, and quickly pulled him aboard their vessel.
Hohorst immediately radioed a distress call over VHF radio, alerting the authorities to the dire situation at sea.
Responding to the call, Marine Juliet, under the command of Officer Robert Jenkins and Officer Bernadette Benjamin, rushed to the scene. The police marine unit met the civilian boat and transferred Ho, who remained conscious and alert but unable to stand due to exhaustion and hypothermia, onto their vessel.
The officers promptly provided essential medical aid to stabilize him.
From there the Coast Guard medic at the United States Coast Guard Station-Fire Island came into play. The medic administered further treatment to Ho before the West Islip Fire Department ambulance transported him to Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip for continued medical care.