When your 17-foot boat flips in 30-degree Gulf waters at dawn, survival becomes a matter of minutes. Fishing captain Gerry Ponson learned this harsh lesson during what started as a routine duck hunt across the bay from New Orleans. The 4:30 AM departure with his recently widowed friend Mac and dog Booga quickly turned deadly when a sudden storm capsized their vessel, plunging all three into icy water during Easter weekend.
The accident occurred during Louisiana’s prime duck hunting season, when temperatures in the 30s create ideal conditions for waterfowl but deadly scenarios for anyone thrown into Gulf waters. What followed became a testament to both human endurance and what authors SQuire Rushnell and Louise DuArt would later document as a divine intervention.
Hour-Long Fight Against Hypothermia
Push pole became lifeline as temperatures dropped and hope faded.
Ponson used a push pole to stay afloat while encouraging Mac, who struggled in the frigid water. After more than an hour fighting exhaustion and hypothermia, Ponson made a desperate choice—releasing Booga toward shore before the dog weakened further. With rescue prospects diminishing and both men facing life-threatening exposure, Ponson turned to prayer.
- Storm struck without warning during prime duck season temperatures
- Both men faced hypothermia after 60+ minutes in Gulf waters
- Dog Booga released toward shore as last hope for survival
- Ponson prayed specifically for rescue boat and “second chance”
- Rescue vessel emerged through mist with prophetic name painted on hull
“I prayed for a boat and asked God for a second chance,” Ponson told Fox News Digital, according to authors SQuire Rushnell and Louise DuArt who documented the story for their “Godwink” series. Through the mist appeared exactly that—a boat named “Second Chance.”
Mac required medevac transport while Ponson noted the impossible coincidence of the vessel’s name matching his prayer. At the New Orleans dock, Booga waited alive, and Shannon stood tearfully by the water’s edge. The rescue marked not just survival, but the beginning of a complete life transformation.
From Skeptic to Street Preacher
Easter proposal led to chapel wedding with Mac and Booga in attendance.
Ponson proposed to Shannon that Easter Sunday, leading to their wedding with Mac as best man and Booga serving as “best dog.” The former skeptical captain now preaches part-time at Celebration Church and shares his testimony on New Orleans streets, proving some stories change everything.
