A Homer man was rescued Saturday after clinging to a chunk of ice for more than 30 minutes in the frigid waters of Cook Inlet near Anchor Point.
Jaime Snedden, 45, had been walking along the shoreline on the ice when the ice broke free and drifted out to sea with the outgoing current, troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain said in an email to The Associated Press on Monday.
Snedden was swept about 300 yards out into the inlet, near the mouth of the Anchor River.
Alaska Wildlife Trooper Jeremy Baum arrived and saw only Snedden’s head and arms visible above water as he clung to the ice chunk.
Snedden was not wearing any type of personal flotation device.
The fishing vessel Misty was about 3 miles away and responded to an urgent marine broadcast seeking help. The Misty arrived about the same time as Baum, who launched an inflatable pack raft and rowed to Snedden’s location.
Snedden was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for hypothermia. He was expected to fully recover, said Alaska Wildlife Troopers.
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