Fishermen claim that Siri saved their lives after their boat began sinking

The men were unable to use the touchscreen on their
 By 
Brian Koerber
 on 
Fishermen claim that Siri saved their lives after their boat began sinking
Credit: shutterstock

While we love to hate Apple's virtual assistant, Siri, she has been hailed a hero by some fishermen in Florida, who claim that it saved their lives.

Though it seems like Siri is incapable of doing anything well aside from dishing out sass, the assistant is actually pretty good at making hands-free phone calls. (Reminder: it's 2017 and that's not very impressive.) Though simple, this feature did save lives this weekend.

Three boaters ran into rough seas on Saturday morning while fishing four miles off of the coast of Key Biscayne, and Siri came to their rescue, according to Fox 4. Their 18-foot boat began to take on water in the rough seas, and the men quickly put on life jackets and attempted to call 911 before the boat sank. With cold, wet fingers, the men were unable to use their phone's touchscreen to call for help, so one of them used to power of Siri to make a call to 911.

“They had an iPhone 7, which I'm learning today is waterproof.  However, he couldn't touch the screen with his fingers because they were cold, but he used Siri to call 911," Sgt. James Barrett told Fox 4 in what can only be described as an accdiental ad for the iPhone 7.

After calling 911, a coast guard chopper found the boaters and a diver stayed with them until the Miami-Dade police arrived to rescue them.

Topics Apple Siri

photo of brian
Brian Koerber

Brian was the Culture Editor and has been working at Mashable on the web culture desk since 2014.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You
Siri bug reportedly delays Apple's smart home lineup
By Jack Dawes
Apple's New HomePod Now Available Within Its Stores

Siri said to be going all ChatGPT as Apple fixes its AI agent
A Siri logo on a smartphone screen

Siri might become an AI chatbot in iOS 27
iPhone 17 lying in grass

Apple iOS 26.4 update: No Gemini-powered Siri yet, report suggests
Siri promotional art on a laptop screen

Apple's Siri might get an AI app store of its own
Apple Siri

More in Tech
California just launched the country's largest public broadband network
Newsom stands behind a teen on a computer. A group of people cheer and clap behind them.

The Shark FlexStyle is our favorite Dyson Airwrap dupe, and it's $160 off at Amazon right now
The Shark FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System against a colorful background.

Amazon's sister site is having a one-day sale, and this Bissell TurboClean deal is too good to skip
A woman using the Bissell TurboClean Cordless Hard Floor Cleaner Mop and Lightweight Wet/Dry Vacuum.

The best smartwatch you've never heard of is on sale for less than $50
Nothing CMF Watch 3 Pro in light green with blue and green abstract background

Reddit r/all takes another step into the grave
Reddit logo on phone screen

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

Google launches Gemma 4, a new open-source model: How to try it
Google Gemma

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 4, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 4, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!