{"id":11731,"date":"2025-06-19T10:02:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T10:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/?p=11731"},"modified":"2025-06-19T10:02:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T10:02:09","slug":"fisherman-opens-up-about-his-viral-tiktok-and-the-beacon-that-saved-his-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/?p=11731","title":{"rendered":"Fisherman Opens Up About His Viral TikTok and the Beacon That Saved His Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fisherman Opens Up About His Viral TikTok and the Beacon That Saved His Life
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\n Message in a Cooler: Easton Barrett recorded a final message for his loved ones and prepared to set it adrift in his Yeti.<\/span>
\n Courtesy Easton Barrett<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/section>\n

The video that made Easton Barrett famous was only the beginning. His boat had just gone down in the Gulf of Mexico, leaving Easton and four friends treading water and thinking about sharks.<\/p>\n

Easton shook the water from the phone and, seeing that he had only about 10 percent battery power, decided to say goodbye to his loved ones. He turned the camera on himself, smiled wryly, and said: \u201cWell, the boat sank. No bueno. Love y\u2019all.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was near the start of the five-hour ordeal, said Easton, who recounted the accident in a podcast interview with former Sea Tow captain Aaron Stasiak, founder of the popular Qualified Captain page on Instagram.<\/p>\n

Easton said that he and his friends survived for one reason and one reason only: a personal locator beacon that one of their girlfriends had given them that morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe realized the water was a little sporty,\u201d said Easton, who briefed the crew before launching from Mary Walker Marina in Gautier, Mississippi, early Saturday morning for a fishing tournament. \u201cWe made a little safety plan\u2014the life jackets are up here, flares are there, and the ditch bag is here with the PLB, or whatever it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had never even heard of a PLB. \u201cConnor\u2019s girlfriend had just given it to us that morning. She said, \u2018Hey if anything happens, here it goes.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

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A post shared by THEQUALIFIEDCAPTAIN (@thequalifiedcaptain)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n