boating accident boca raton

[Charlie J]

my two oldest daughters were in a boating accident yesterday off the inlet in boca raton, they were snokeling with there boy friends and were run over by a towing co.there beat up pretty good, oldest caught the prop in the back of the head and the leg, middle ones arm is badly bruised and cut up due to the barrnicals, they were released from the hospital late yeasterday, thank god they are alright it could of been worst. as we all know you can never be to careful on the water, it sends chills down my spine when i think of what could of happend. be careful out there and stay safe.
charlie

[Whaler1777]

Charlie, my thoughts and prayers go out to them for a speedy recovery, glad to hear theyre gonna be okay....
-John

[CaptPatrick]

Damn, Charlie!

Glad they didn't get hurt worse! This is an example that diving in or around an inlet isn't ever a good idea. Hillsboro Inlet is a busy place for boat traffic. Lot of accidents happen there. Scary to say the least...

Actually, I just realized that they were probably around the real Boca Inlet, which is a very small and tight inlet, almost like a small canal. Less boat traffic then Hillsboro, but also less margin for error...

Br

Patrick

[Dug]

Charlie,

Thank the good lord they were only bruised and battered.

I shudder to think of the alternative. I am very happy they are going to be ok. Wow...

Big hugs when they get home I suspect, deservedly so!!!

Dug

[Charlie J]

thanks guys went thru hell yeasterday with that phone call, capt pat i understand they were off the beach and not directly in the inlet, the life guards on the beach saw what happend and responed out with there jet skis. no familar with the area

[Bruce]

Charlie,

Anything I can do down here, let me know.

Just the other day a snorkler down here had his legs amputated after being run over by a boat.

[Charlie J]

thanks bruce, yes they were dam lucky

[jspiezio]

Holy S--t. Thank God they're all right, that is scary scary stuff. I would like to blame an inexperienced boater but it was a tow boat no less. What were they doing on that boat? No one as a lookout, especially that close to the beach?

[Brewster Minton]

Glad they are alright. That could have been the end. Thoughts are with you and them.

[Rawleigh]

Scary!! Glad they are going to be OK!! I always worry about that when snorkeling. At least when SCUBA diving I can let the air out of the BC and get below prop depth.

[Harry Babb]

Charlie
That just leaves me speachless.

I am thankful that the injuries were no worse than they are.

My thoughts and prayers are for these ladies to have a speedy and full recovery.

We are all here for you and your family........

Harry

[randall]

geez charlie.....caren and i are greatly relieved they were so lucky. my sons former boss ,owner of a local winery, was killed last week getting run over by a boat. ive surfed a lot of inlets.....they are dangerous for sure. as pat says...boca inlet aint much but it just takes one.

[Carl]

You must have been a wreck...

They are some very lucky girls, you have to believe someone was looking out for them with only cuts and bruises then to have lifeguards on the scene immediatley.

I'm so very glad to hear they are okay.

Carl

[Buju]

Oh my God... to be so unlucky and lucky at the same time. Thank God they're relativley ok.
Was the tow boat @ idle speed?.. actually towing another vessel? I'm thinking at planning speed it'd be a much worse scenario.
They have their dive flag up? Too far from the boat? Or was the tow boat capt. just not paying attention?

I do quite a bit of freediving/spearing and have had my share of scares. I usually go out in my skiff, and drift with it- so that I'm always near the boat & dive flag(s)... but even with these precautions, there have been a few times when I've had to take a breath in a hurry, and get my ass under asap. Don't know if they'd have hit me or not, but when ya look up and see a bow bearing down on ya...scary, scary, scary.

Then, there was also the time a year or two ago when I was running the edge of the flats between tavernier key and dove key (near harry harris prk.) looking for pods of tarpon, and I happen to notice something yellow about 40' dead ahead. I realize it's a snorkel and turn hard to stbd, and come off plane... The guy stands up and I throw up my arms like "whattya doing!?!" and he starts laying into me about how reckless I am, going so fast and not watching where I'm going. So I let him finish his rant and counter with
#1) My speed is none of your concern, but FYI, I was cruising @ 24mph... and this boat has a top speed of 58mph... if I were at, or anywhere near top speed, it'd been a diff. story.
#2) If I wasn't watching where I was going, I'd have definatley hit you...
#3) Where the hell is your dive flag? Not only is what you are doing illegal, it's reckless and stupid as hell, and if you keep it up, you're gonna get hit... you need to go back to shore and get a flag (even offered at one point to give him one of my floating dive flags to tow with him- he didn't want my f*%$ing flag)

Of course, none of this sank into his head and he started dropping f-bombs, and getting more irate... so I did a quick circular hole shot, doing my best to kick up all the hydroids, and upsidedown jellies, and get away from Mr. Know it All Tourist.
On my run back, I noticed a couple of boats in the same general area, one of 'em was a FWC boat. Don't know what happened, hopefully the guy didn't take a hit...but if he did, Darwin would know something about that.

[Charlie J]

buju
i dont have all the perticulars right now, i was told there were other divers near by, wheather they had a flag in the water or on the boat i dont know till i see the report.
thanks
charlie

[In Memory Walter K]

Charlie-Wow!...and thank God they're OK. What a horror! Our prayers are with them! Walter

[AndreF]

Scary

[Capt Dick Dean]

Good to hear the kids are O.K. Boy, what a scray situation.

[Harv]

Charlie,

glad to hear the kids will be ok. I'll give you a call shortly.

[John F.]

Charlie-

Really glad your kids are alright.

John F.

[Tony Meola]

Charlie

Sorry to hear about the accident. Thank God they are ok, unfortunately they probably will have a couple of scars.

[Capt. DQ]

Very lucky indeed, Thank God there OK!

DQ

[nestorpr]

Same here, hope they get better right away!

[Capt.Frank]

Very lucky girls, I wish them a speedy recovery. I hope this doesn't keep them off the water in the future.

[bob lico]

charle any updated news we are all concerned! i hope the best

[Charlie J]

the girls are ok, bruised, cut up, in good spirits.
myself , melissa , and laura would like to thank you all for your prayers.
god bless

[Gr8flDiver]

Glad the girls are OK. They were incredibly lucky as these accidents rarely turn out so well. A friend of one of my diving buddies was hit this past weekend and lost both legs. His life was saved only because of fast and proper actions by the guys on his boat. The guy that hit him took off. This is an all too common occurance here in S FL. Too many boaters clueless as to what dive flags mean.

[CaptPatrick]

Too many boaters clueless as to what dive flags mean.

And too many divers clueless about using dive flags.

I picked up a couple of scuba divers once that had anchored their rented boat, south of Jupiter Inlet, dove until low on air, and popped up over 2 miles north. No dive flag & no clue about Gulf Stream currents.

I ferried them back to their boat, where one's wife was relaxed & reading a book without a clue that the divers were long over due. All three of them totally clueless about anything...

[Carl]

I have made that mistake myself on a beach dive, that is no diving flag and reling on someone elses guidance.

Started out as a beach dive to a small reef right off the beach which I was told is too close to shore for boats to bother us and a dive flag was not needed. We geared up went out to the reef and 45 minutes later when we popped up, we where way the hell offshore with a fleet of boats fishing not too far from us. The longest f^^%!! swim back to shore I ever had and constantly worried about the boats passing by, then when we finally got to the beach we had to lug the equipment a mile or so back up the beach to where we where parked. I was pissed...mostly at myself I knew better but as it was his waters I used his judgement...stupid lucky me.

Then again just because you have a dive flag don't mean didily anymore, kind of like a stop sign.

Really glad they are okay.

Carl

[randall]

its always the same regardless of the activity. in years of backcountry skiing i saw numerous potentially fatal mistakes and actually had 3 guys that followed my tracks get buried with one dying.. my all time favorite however was out surfing double overhead waves with a good friend....this guy is waving his arms yelling and screaming in obvious distress....no board. we paddle over and ask what the problem is. "my leash broke"....."so what....swim in...stay in the white water".......I DONT KNOW HOW TO SWIM" you cant make this stuff up.

[Charlie J]

randall
you cant imagine how many people have boats and cant swim

[Carl]

I used to tag along on a commercial boat using rod n reel for Stripers in the 80's. The Captain who ran the boat, a 20' open boat with a single diesel fished 300 days a year whether in NY for Stripers or Florida in the cooler weather for other species...couldn't swim a stroke.

Some years back I'm in a shark tournament with Sr. We go out to our favorite wreck and chum up a storm, a few boats join us doing the same. Sharks all over the place and a little runabout comes along right over the wreck, in the middle of all the boats tosses his anchor, sticks a diving flag on his antenea suits up and jumps in.

[mike ohlstein]

Here's your sign.....

[Carl]

LOL

[randall]

it was actually some sort of bravado that none of the local baymen knew how to swim. (well most ,and none would admit to it). knew a fellow who fell out of his boat and drowned....33 years old at the time.