Coast Guard: Summer ocean searches can last 7-10 days

Coast Guard officials have to consider a reasonable best-case scenario, and if it’s probable people could be alive, crews will continue searching.

If 14-year-olds Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos fashioned together a makeshift raft and if they had food and water in their cooler, their chance of survival increases dramatically, Doss said.

“This is the best educated guess you can come up with,” he said.

Water temperature and ocean conditions also play a role in the decision-making. People can generally survive longer in warmer water, so summer searches can go on longer than winter.

Paddleboarder William Morlock, 58, went missing the same day and crews are also still searching for him.

The Coast Guard has covered nearly 44,000 square nautical miles in the search for the boys. The search area stretches from Daytona Beach to just south of Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The boys have been missing since last Friday when they may have run into stormy afternoon weather off the coast.

Crews found their boat Sunday, 67 miles from the Volusia County coastline. The Coast Guard has continued to move the search area north as they study currents and come up with their best guess on where the boys could be taken.

The teams have been going full-force since the original call Friday. Unlike a missing person report, there is no buffer time before the Coast Guard tries to find someone.

“We’re immediately launching boats and helicopters and planes to come find you if we believe you’re in distress,” he said.

Officials still haven’t released a timetable for when they might call off either search. If anyone sees anything they think could be connected to the effort, they are urged to call the Coast Guard.

But the boys’ families are remaining positive.

Stephanos’ uncle Matt Kuntz spoke briefly in front of the family’s home in Tequesta this afternoon. He thanked the public for their support, time and money.

The family is hopeful the boys are clinging to a missing cooler the boys had on the boat.

“We’re hoping that they’re on that cooler,” Kuntz said.

Staying out of the water is key, Doss said. He has seen cases where migrants stayed alive for three weeks because they were in a boat out of the water. In 2005, two teenagers off the South Carolina coast were rescued after more than six days adrift in their fishing boat.

Meanwhile, the families are still raising money to fund a private search.

A GoFundMe page has now raised more than $245,000 since Monday with all dollars going toward the search-and-rescue.

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A separate fundraiser at a Jupiter restaurant Wednesday night attracted hundreds of people and netted about $40,000. It will also go directly into private search efforts, which includes 20 planes.

Jumby Bay Island Grill owner Vicki Greist didn’t personally know the families, but she is a mother and a long-time Jupiter resident.

She said 14-year-olds go on fishing trips in the area all the time.

“It could have been any of our kids,” she said. “That’s why it hits so close to home for us.”

She said the event brought everyone together and raised their spirits. It wasn’t just about the money. She wanted the family to know that the whole town is behind them.

“They need to know that there’s hope,” she said. “I can’t imagine what they’re going through right now, but the fact that we had all these people rallying around them really lifted them up.”

Putting the event together in just 48 hours, Greist was overwhelmed by the success of the night and the support of the community. The event raised money through a raffle, merchandise sale, donations and Greist passed on a portion of the restaurant’s sales.

If the search ends before all the money is spent, the family will donate it to local charities, she said.

Greist knew people wanted to help and she was hoping it would raise some money, but she never even considered it would be that successful.

“That’s just unheard of,” Greist said. “I’m exhausted but I’m glad I could help.”

»Full coverage: The Post has covered the search since the beginning.