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Fishermen Honored for Saving People from Burning Boat


A San Diego sportfishing crew received a big honor during the San Diego State Aztecs football game Saturday night at SDCCU Stadium.

The crew of the Time Machine rescued 15 people when their boat exploded off the coast of Coronado last month. On Saturday, the Coast Guard honored them with a special thank you during the third quarter of SDSU’s game.

It was a big deal for the crew that went out of their way save people from the damaged boat.

“It’s honoring, it feels good,” Capt. Mike Koesterer said.

He, his son Reeve and their crewman Andy Vo went out to the middle of the field with members of the U.S. Coast Guard who also helped with the rescue.

The Coast Guard thanked the crew for saving 15 people on the night of Oct. 20. Koesterer said he saw a boat burst into flames near Coronado. The crew headed over to where the damaged boat was and heard screams for help.

All the people were in the water and the Time Machine crew said they pulled them out of the ocean. Three people, however, were never found.

Koesterer said while it’s nice to be called a hero, it’s also hard because the people he helped rescued did have serious injuries from the explosion.

“I kind of try to forget about it,” he said. “It was difficult later and still is. The families of the ones lost have been contacting us saying, ‘Thank you.'”

The Time Machine crew is now trying to help the victims and their families. They started a GoFundMe page to help with medical expenses.

Photo Credit: NBC 7
Source: NBC San Diego

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