Woman Falls Off Boat, Is Rescued an Hour Later

A crew member who fell unnoticed from a commercial fishing boat near Santa Catalina Island was rescued Sunday after she stayed afloat without a life jacket for nearly an hour before she was spotted by a Coast Guard helicopter, authorities said.

Elizabeth Helm, 31, of San Pedro was suffering from mild hypothermia when she was plucked from the ocean near the southwest side of Catalina about 11:45 a.m., said Coast Guard Lt. Anthony Gentinella.

No one saw her fall from the boat--the 32-foot Highliner I--about five miles south of the island’s Ribbon Rock. But it was believed that she was cleaning the craft when she fell into the ocean, Gentinella said.

Three hours after her rescue, she was reported in stable condition at San Pedro Peninsula Hospital, where nursing supervisor Penny Smith said Helm would be released Sunday, pending the results of lab tests.

“She must have been strong to swim for an hour,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer Scott Wasserman. He said Helm was without a life jacket when she fell into the water.

“Usually body fat ratio plays a role in insulating a person against the cold and helps their survival,” he said, “but she is pretty petite.”

Helm was described as 5 feet, 3 inches and 115 pounds. Authorities believe she fell off the Highliner I shortly before 11 a.m.

When the vessel’s owner, Robert Rose, discovered that she was gone, he radioed the Coast Guard, Gentinella said.

An observer from the helicopter dispatched from Air Station Los Angeles at Los Angeles International Airport spotted Helm in the water, and a skipper from a nearby boat pulled her out.

Helm was transferred to a lifeguard boat and airlifted by the Coast Guard to the hospital.