Albatross,
So may we conclude from your statement that the concern of a delayed SAR recovery of folks in the water would not be an issue in the crew's decision making that day? They were not that far offshore when the decision to return to land was made.
Remember....I am not being critical of the crew but rather am trying to narrow down the factors they would have to considered while talking to Cougar Ops about what they should do.
This is CRM at its best....pilots seeking advice from outside the cockpit.