The US Coast Guard medevaced a 57-year-old woman from Coral Princess Saturday afternoon (May 16, 2009) during a 3-day cruise from Los Angeles to Vancouver.
According to the Coast Guard, the woman was drowning and a nurse aboard the ship resuscitated her after she was pulled from the swimming pool.
The Coast Guard received a call from the ship at 1:45pm saying the woman needed further medical attention at a shoreside hospital, and they dispatched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station San Francisco. They met Coral Princess when it was about 30 miles west of Bodega Bay (CA) and transferred the woman to a hospital in Santa Rosa (CA).
The pick up was made from the deck above the central pool area on Coral Princess which had been cleared of all people and furniture. Likewise passengers with balconies on that side of the ship were told to remain indoors during the operation. In the video, provided by the Coast Guard, you can see the helicopter crew making several lifts from the deck of Coral Princess. The entire operation above the ship took about 30 minutes. The video was taken from a stationary camera above the door of the helicopter, hence the quality is not always the best.
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