Stranded boaters rescued from rocks after boat capsizes at Florida jetty, officials say
Chaotic weekend for boating rescues
Video from the Volusia County Sheriff's Office helicopter shows an outrigger canoe broken into two pieces about 200 yards into the ocean from Ormond-by-the-Sea. Officials said the people on board jumped into the water when it fell apart on Saturday. Lifeguards on jet skis and paddle boards brought all 11 passengers to safety. All of them wore life jackets and none were badly injured.
PONCE INLET, Fla. - Three boaters were rescued after they were left stranded on the rocks at the Ponce Inlet Jetty after their boat capsized, according to Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue.
Beach Safety received the call just before 10 p.m. on Sunday about an incident in the jetty. A bystander said there was an incident involving four people in the water near the Ponce de Leon north jetties, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Three boaters climbed the jetty wall while a fourth made it safety to shore.
The boaters said they were fishing on a 15-foot boat inside the jetty when the vessel capsized due to a passing wake, the Coast Guard said.
Photo: Volusia Sheriff's Office
The U.S. Coast Guard wasn't able to get their boat close enough to the rocks due to rough water inside the inlet to rescue the boaters, Beach Safety said.
Beach Safety arrived at the jetty at 10:38 p.m. and launched a rescue ski to drive around the jetty. That's when they met with the Coast Guard inside the inlet.
The boaters were located about 55 yards from the end of the Ponce Jetty, Beach Safety said.
Photo: U.S. Coast Guard Southeast/Twitter
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To rescue the boaters, Beach Safety personnel swam to the rocks, climbed up and secured a rescue tube around them to transport them back to the Coast Guard's boat. They did this two more times with the other boaters.
"The teamwork with our Volusia County partners was vital in allowing us to effectively execute this rescue while mitigating as much risk as possible for the people in distress," a Coast Guard officer said.
There were no reported medical concerns.