A Bellingham, Washington couple was instrumental in the rescue of a man adrift for 26 hours in a plastic fish bin in Alaskan waters.

The Bellingham Herald reports 19-year-old Ryan Harris was afloat in open seas after his boat capsized northwest of Sitka, Alaska.

Tele Aadsen and Joel Brady-Power may have saved the young man's life.

They were on their way back to shore on their 43-foot salmon-fishing boat after they heard a Coast Guard report about a missing fisherman.

They motored north with binoculars in hand, hoping to see him despite the poor visibility. And miraculously, they found him, called the Coast Guard and a helicopter was on its way.