Amanda Taylor Recounts Emotional Reunion Of Stranded Couple With Coast Guardsmen Who Saved Them

An Edmond couple is celebrating their survival after being stranded in the Gulf of Mexico for nearly 40 hours without a boat.

The U.S. Coast Guard, whose team located the couple amid challenging conditions, made the rescue possible.

In an emotional reunion at Guthrie Airport, Nathan Maker and his wife, Kim, met the Coast Guard personnel who saved their lives.

News 9's Amanda Taylor, the only journalist invited to an emotional reunion, joined News 9 at 9 a.m. to share more about the story.

She said their reunion was extremely emotional as the couple thanked the men and women who worked to save them.

“That sound took them right back to the water, and so a flood of emotions came over them,” Taylor said. So as soon as the door opened of the Coast Guard plane and the Coast Guardsmen came out, they went running over.”

She said the couple had almost lost hope as they floated for almost two days on the sea.

“It was very emotional in this interview, very raw, and they talk about how they're tethered together out there. What would happen if one of them passed away and they had to cut the rope and let the other one go," Taylor said.

Taylor said in the interview, they also talked about the moments they realized they would be saved.

“Just when they were about to lose hope in the middle of the night, they see a Coast Guard plane coming close, they use their flashlight to an SOS signal to them , and somehow, a Coast Guard member looking out of this little tiny window spots the flashlight and says, 'Hey, we need to circle around,'" Taylor said.

The story will air on News 9 at 10 p.m. on Thursday and will be available to stream on the News 9 app.