Trapped 21 Hours on a Kodiak Cliff - Ugak Bay Rescue

A lone hiker clings to a narrow ledge above Ugak Bay for 21 hours as an H-60 crew attempts a high-risk vertical cliff hoist in brutal wind and fog. And that’s only one of today’s missions. From an emergency medevac to Angoon where oxygen runs dangerously low, to a nighttime tugboat rescue near Pavlof Bay as waves crash over the deck, Coast Guard Air Stations Sitka and Kodiak push into Alaska’s worst weather to keep people alive. Inside the helicopter, every PSI of O2 and every foot of altitude matters. On the ground, survival school turns rain-soaked forests into classrooms where fire, shelter, and teamwork mean the difference between discomfort and danger. A 69-year-old stranded near Cordova faces 8–10 feet of snow and a painful knee twist as crews weigh landing vs. hoist in a tiny clearing. What do crews do when the cable might rub rock, the last O2 bottle nears empty, and gale-force gusts slam the rotor disk? Watch to see the choices that make or break a rescue in America’s deadliest waters. #CoastGuard #Alaska #SearchAndRescue #HelicopterRescue #Kodiak #Sitka #Medevac