Hope you don't mind my bumping this thread...

*** Spoiler Warning ***

I just watched the movie – not bad. But it bugs me when they take what appears to be a fairly accurate portrayal (for Hollywood) and then force the plot to a climax by doing something stupid.

Ok, the crew chief reports that the hoist cable is damaged and in danger of failing. Step one: briskly lower swimmers back into the water (they spent the whole movie treading water, another five minutes is gonna kill them?). Access the situation, form a plan and act accordingly.

In no particular order:
Possible plan A: Hoist both swimmers at once, always maintaining an altitude that is a survivable falling distance above the water.
Possible plan B: Hoist one swimmer at a time, again at a safe altitude.
Possible plan C: Disregard hoist cable as unsafe, toss the swimmers one end of a rope and secure the other to the helicopter using an approved anchor point. Perform a “fixed-line fly away”.
Possible plan D: Kick a life raft out the door, assume that they have read ETS and know that they should erect the canopy, and rescue them later. This time use a hoist equipped with aircraft grade stainless steel cable rather than bailing wire.