If you thought movie-like situations seldom happen in real life then this piece of news might change your perception. In a full filmy style, three men stranded on an uninhabited Pacific island for three days were safely rescued after using a trick which you might have come across in a couple of films. According to US Coast Guard Officials, the men used Palm tree branches to write ‘HELP’ in the sand and thus were successfully rescued. The three friends set out on a trip from Pulap, an island from the Federated States of Micronesia, on April 4. Unfortunately, a wave reportedly crashed into their boat and the 19-foot boat got swamped. The trio then swam nearly two miles in the dark and ended up on the Island of Fanadik.

The U.S. Coast Guard received a call for a search and rescue mission around 11 a.m. the next day. According to a press release, two vessels were then sent on a rescue mission who then conducted a combined 17-hour search of 178 miles.

On April 7, a Navy crew from a Japanese air base joined the rescue mission, and spotted the men holding life jackets right next to the big makeshift sign.

A vessel was then sent to rescue the men.

“Our combined efforts coupled with the willingness of many different resources to come together and help, led to the successful rescue of these three men in a very remote part of the Pacific,” said Lt. William White, a Sector Guam public affairs officer.

Coast guard officials also said the “ingenuity of these men to build their sign and the preparedness of having lifejackets also contributed to their safe rescue.”

Well, this is one reel- inspired real life story!