BURAS, La. (WVUE) - The United States Coast Guard says a shrimper who disappeared while trying to salvage his vessel has been found alive nearly a week later.

Timothy “Blimp” Cheramie was last seen on the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 4 near Venice, Louisiana. A Jayhawk helicopter crew rescued Cheramie and a second unidentified boater from his shrimp boat after it ran aground.

“I didn’t want to die bruh,” Cheramie said. “Who wants to die? Especially like that.”

The Coast Guard says Cheramie was reportedly trying to recover his boat when he went missing.

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from #USCG Air Station New Orleans rescues 2 boaters whose vessel ran aground near Venice, LA.

Both men were transferred to EMS and are in stable condition. pic.twitter.com/VHXnOpDH7Y
— USCG Heartland (@USCGHeartland) January 4, 2024

Southeast Louisiana was battered by two rounds of severe weather on Monday, Jan. 8, including sustained winds of 15-25 mph gusting up to 45-60 mph, and several inches of rain over 12 hours.

At 1 a.m. on Jan. 9, the USCG posted Cheramie’s photo and said his boat was located with no one aboard.

Timothy Cheramie was missing for six days after trying to salvage his shrimp boat near Venice,... — Timothy Cheramie was missing for six days after trying to salvage his shrimp boat near Venice, La. before he was found alive.(USCG)

Just after noon on Wednesday, Jan. 10, Cheramie’s daughter Tiffany posted video of her father after he had been found. The Coast Guard confirmed he had been located and reported safe.

Cheramie told Fox 8 he was initially rescued by the Coast Guard last week. Last Wednesday, the following day, he had a friend take him out to the boat and drop him off to try and salvage it.

Then, he said the weather started whipping up, and the boat was torn up and unable to move.

“I knew I couldn’t stay on the boat no more,” he said. “I had to leave.”

Cheramie said he retrieved a crab tray from a nearby camp and managed to paddle his way across the bay to a sand bar.

He said he managed to paddle from sandbar to sandbar over the coming days, eventually making it back to Joshua’s Marina in Buras.

“I got one name for this guy: an animal. You can’t kill him,” said Mike Berthelot with Joshua’s Marina. “It’s just a miracle from God that he made it back into this dock.”

“Your dads always been a survivor he’s a tough son of a you know what I just told someone I guarantee you he’s walking threw the marsh [sic],” Robert Carr commented.

Posted by Tiffany Cheramie on Wednesday, January 10, 2024

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Louisiana shrimper missing for 6 days survived severe weather, found alive