‘HELP’ Sign Written On Beach Gets Stranded Sailors Rescued From Remote Island

A large “HELP” sign made out of palm leaves saved the lives of three stranded sailors on a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean for more than a week after members of the U.S. Coast Guard spotted it from the sky. Sometimes you can learn a thing or two from the movies.

The three men were found on April 9 on the Pikelot Atoll – part of the Federated States of Micronesia. It’s just 0.28 miles long and 0.17 miles wide with a population of exactly zero people. As far as islands go, it’s a ’lil guy. The three men survived on coconuts and water from a well on the island, but they were quickly running out of food when they were found, according to a statement from the U.S. Coast Guard.

The three men in their 40s used palm tree branches to make their plea to the sky Gods (pilots.) They were all rescued in good health – but were slightly dehydrated – after a coordinated effort by the U.S. Coast Guard stationed in the region as well as the U.S. Navy. The trio had traveled on March 31 from Polowat Atoll – about 115 miles away from where they ended up – on a fishing trip aboard a 20-foot skiff with an outboard motor, according to the Coast Guard’s statement.

They got a distress call from a woman who said her three uncles were missing and had not returned home from Pikelot Atoll. Here’s what the Coast Guard did: