A person who was pulled from rough waters off Woods Hole by the U.S. Coast Guard Monday was brought to the hospital with injuries that were considered not life-threatening, according to public safety officials. 

The incident was reported at 3:19 p.m.

Alexander R.W. Cheek

The incident was reported at 3:19 p.m.

Alexander R.W. Cheek

The Coast Guard, along with the help of the Steamship Authority and Falmouth police and fire crews, launched a search after the crew of the ferry line’s Island Home saw what was believed to be a person in the water near Juniper point at 3:19 p.m. It was unclear how the person ended up in the water, but the Coast Guard confirmed that they were originally aboard the M/V Nantucket, another Steamship ferry.

The Island Home was on its 2:30 p.m. route, sailing from Vineyard Haven to Woods Hole, when the person was spotted. The ferry crew threw life rings into the water, but were not able to reach the person. 

The Island Home remained in the area to help with the search, and a person aboard the ferry told the Gazette they and other passengers were enlisted to keep an eye out for the person in the water. 

A Coast Guard helicopter found the person off Nobska Point and a rescue swimmer from the Coast Guard was able to retrieve the victim and bring them aboard the helicopter, the Falmouth fire department said in a statement Monday evening. 

The person was recovered at about 4:25 p.m. and they were brought to Joint Base Cape Cod. From there, Cape Cod EMS brought the victim to Falmouth Hospital, where they were being treated for exposure, which was not considered life-threatening, Falmouth fire said. 

Falmouth police are investigating the incident and the fire department said there was no further information on how the person got into the water. The Steamship Authority referred all further questions to the Coast Guard. 

Vineyard Sound was extremely choppy Monday due to the northeaster storm that was passing through the area. Winds were expected to reach gusts of up to 55 miles per hour and the Steamship Authority had cancelled many trips throughout the day, including after the search. 

“Conditions at the time were, to say the least, less than ideal,” Steamship general manager Robert Davis said at the port council meeting Tuesday. “With winds over 30 miles per hour and six to eight foot seas, the Island Home prepared to launch the rescue boat, but prior to that, the Coast Guard was on scene.” 

Mr. Davis praised both the crew and the passengers for their work.

“Many thanks to the passengers on board who assisted in the attempts to locate the person so this ended up having a good outcome…Under the conditions, the crews did what they’re trained to do, and they should be commended,” he said. 

The Falmouth fire department also applauded the work to prevent a tragedy.

“Our thanks to all public safety agencies who assisted, but especially to the U.S. Coast Guard for their skills in finding the victim and bringing this to a successful conclusion,” the fire department wrote.