FALMOUTH – Three people were rescued by Coast Guard Helicopter after a boating incident off Falmouth. Flight tracking shows the helicopter landing on Naushon Island and then flying to Cape Cod Gateway Airport in Hyannis, landing about 9:15 AM Wednesday. Hyannis fire ambulances were waiting to transport the victims to Cape Cod Hospital.
A Coast Guard information officer tells CWN a vessel with three people was reported overdue on a trip from Eel Pond to Naushon (Emergency radio broadcasts to mariners identified the vessel as the “Third Wave”, a 30-foot Criss-Craft). The Coast Guard reports the vessel caught fire forcing all three to swim to the island where they were able to find shelter in a barn. One of the survivors was walking the beach when he found a radio from their vessel that had floated ashore and he was able to use it to call for help. After spending about 30 hours on the island, all three were airlifted by Coast Guard helicopter to Cape Cod Hospital where they were reportedly being treated for burns and hypothermia.
From U.S. Coast Guard: The Coast Guard rescued three people off Naushon Island, Massachusetts on Oct. 22, 2025.
The Coast Guard received a MAYDAY call from the three survivors on Wednesday morning via marine radio. Volunteers from Naushon Trust administered first aid to the survivors. A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew from Air Station Cape Cod transported them to Cape Cod Hospital for higher care.
A concerned family member reported the vessel overdue after they did not return Tuesday evening. Coast Guard Station Woods Hole and Coast Guard Cutter Razorbill (WPB 87332), Falmouth Police Department, Falmouth Harbormaster and volunteers from Naushon Trust searched throughout Tuesday night and Wednesday morning for the vessel. Calls to the crew of the vessel went straight to voicemail and cell phone pings could not give an accurate location.
After waking up to a vessel fire Monday night, the family abandoned ship and swam to the nearby island, where they found a barn for shelter.
While walking along the beach, the son located the vessel’s marine radio which had washed ashore.
The 30-ft pleasure craft THIRD WAVE departed from Eel Pond in Falmouth on Friday with a mother, father and son onboard. They intended to remain anchored between Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard throughout the weekend before returning Tuesday afternoon.
“Quick thinking and having quality equipment allowed the family to survive and call for help,” says Mr. Scott Backholm, a search and rescue mission coordinator from Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England. “Mariners are encouraged to pursue first aid training and ensure their vessels are outfitted with proper safety equipment.”
Photos by David Curran/Satellite News Service/CWN
