A high floating rescue pylon with a passenger compartment at the top and a long narrow portion of the pylon above water with a submerged buoyancy compartment located on the pylon a distance above a ballast chamber at the lower end of the pylon. The unsubmerged portion of the pylon is designed to be high enough to clear the tallest wave crest. The buoyancy compartment is designed to be below water at all times and high enough above the ballast chamber that a pylon righting moment is created by a couple between the center of buoyancy of that chamber and the center of gravity of the ballast chamber. This righting moment is made great enough to create a stable passenger compartment high above the highest waves. The pylon is launched from a rescue vessel or a helicopter to float horizontally, buoyed at one end by a buoyant passenger compartment and at the other end by the about to be submerged variable buoyancy compartment. A heavy ballast shaft slides out the bottom end of the pylon. The heavy ballast shaft pivots one end of the horizontal pylon downward erecting the remaining pylon with passenger compartment uppermost. The now submerged buoyancy compartment enlarges, inflating to lift the now vertical pylon to its design waterline.