In the early hours of Friday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard carried out a dramatic rescue operation, saving five individuals from a perilous situation after their boat sank off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida.

The distress call came through around 3:30 a.m., as the Coast Guard received several mayday alerts from a 32-foot vessel in trouble. The caller reported that the boat was taking on water and that all five people on board had donned lifejackets in preparation for evacuation.