Local Captain falls 48 feet into rough seas

UPDATE

Captain Tom Henry passed away Monday, according to Florida Fish & Wildflife Officials. According to friends, Captain Henry's family took him off life support.

Like a scene  out of a movie, rough seas battered a charter boat on its way back home. 

Photographer Stuart Browning was on the other side of the lens, watching it all unfold.  "I was only going to shoot the boat making a big splash, when you see a person fall out of a boat like that, you're heart just stops, you just know something bad is going to come out of it," said Browning.

Browning's camera captured 61 year old Captain Thomas Henry, on the bridge of the "Waterdog," battling the waves for control of the boat. 

According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials, there were 5 paying passengers and 1 mate on board.

"I realize it’s the captain falling out of the bridge and right there he hit the gunnel with a big thump and you could just see his body stop and roll out," said Browning. 

Realizing the captain had gone under, his mate was able to get control of the large vessel and bring it safely to shore.  Then, it was a race against time to pull the downed captain from the churning sea.

The Coast Guard rushed him to a nearby marina.  "I could hear them on the radio saying "we found him, we found him, I couldn't believe it because the drift was so fast that day, I couldn't believe they found him outside the inlet," said Browning. 

The rescue was made possible thanks to Browning's keen eye and quick shutter.  "It was so far out that there is no way you could see it with you bare eye, so if didn’t have this on it, I would’ve never known it was a person falling off the boat," said Browning.

No passengers were hurt in the incident. 

Captain Henry was taken off life support Monday. Family and friends called for support and prayers for Henry's widow.