Fisherman Opens Up About His Viral TikTok and the Beacon That Saved His Life
June 18, 2025
The video that made Easton Barrett famous was only the beginning. His boat had just gone down in the Gulf of Mexico, leaving Easton and four friends treading water and thinking about sharks.
Easton shook the water from the phone and, seeing that he had only about 10 percent battery power, decided to say goodbye to his loved ones. He turned the camera on himself, smiled wryly, and said: “Well, the boat sank. No bueno. Love y’all.”
That was near the start of the five-hour ordeal, said Easton, who recounted the accident in a podcast interview with former Sea Tow captain Aaron Stasiak, founder of the popular Qualified Captain page on Instagram.
Easton said that he and his friends survived for one reason and one reason only: a personal locator beacon that one of their girlfriends had given them that morning.
“We realized the water was a little sporty,” said Easton, who briefed the crew before launching from Mary Walker Marina in Gautier, Mississippi, early Saturday morning for a fishing tournament. “We made a little safety plan—the life jackets are up here, flares are there, and the ditch bag is here with the PLB, or whatever it is.”
He had never even heard of a PLB. “Connor’s girlfriend had just given it to us that morning. She said, ‘Hey if anything happens, here it goes.’”
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