We've actually seen this in person on three occasions; one was a heart attack, another was some type of major intestinal problem, and one was compound fracture of a leg.
These Coast Guard guys are amazing! What struck us as incredible was that when we looked at the helicopter, it looked like it was just hovering and we were dead in the water as the helicopter maintained perfect positioning without moving an inch forward or backward. But when we looked over the side, we could see that we were moving about 12 to 14 knots.
Their skills are incredible and makes one feel great to watch them in action. They definitely do not get the credit they deserve, that's for sure.
Pete