Fishing captain clinging to cooler 30 miles off Florida coast rescued as hurricane approaches

A captain of a fishing boat who had been clinging to a cooler to float on in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 30 miles off the Florida coast on Wednesday (October 9) was rescued as Hurricane Milton approached the state.

United States Coast Guard (USCG) crew members lowered a diver to the man to rescue him.

The man was later taken to Tampa General Hospital for medical treatment, the organisation said.

It came as Hurricane Milton hurtled toward Florida's west coast on Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane.