Accidents of the Week - February 21, 2026
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Six Rescued After Boat Capsizes in Heavy Surf
2/7/26 – Santa Cruz, CA
A boat capsized after barreling into heavy surf, catching surfers at the break by surprise
Six people were rescued after a boat capsized in heavy surf off West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz, California, on the morning of 7 February, a city spokesperson said.
Santa Cruz fire crews and city lifeguards responded at around 11:45 a.m. to a reported water rescue near 701 W. Cliff Drive after multiple reports that a vessel had overturned and several people were in the water.
Victims Not Wearing PFDs: Officials
Fire units and lifeguards entered the ocean on rescue boards and moved toward victims floating offshore. All six people were pulled from the water and taken aboard Harbor Patrol and auxiliary boats, according to the Santa Cruz City Fire Department.
Some of the victims were not wearing life jackets, officials said. They were taken to the harbor, where fire crews and paramedics provided treatment before transporting all six to a local hospital.
Responders also searched for a possible seventh victim using State Parks watercraft and police drones, but later determined no additional person was missing, officials said.
Two Missing Boaters Rescued, One Clinging to a Tree
2/6/26 – Pickens Co., AL
Two missing boaters were safe after being rescued on the Tombigbee River, in Alabama’s Pickens County.
Deputies were called to the Vienna Boat Ramp in Aliceville, Alabama, about two men who were reported missing, according to the sheriff's office. The boaters had been gone since about 5 a.m. but had not returned to their vehicle by 8 p.m.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), Alabama Game and Fish, the Carrollton Police Department, and Pickens County EMS responded to the scene.
Before first responding agencies were able to launch their boats, two citizens were already searching by boat in the area where the men were known to fish. Those citizens were able to locate the missing boaters a short time later. One of them was holding onto a tree and the other was on the bank.
Both men were safely brought back to shore, where they received medical treatment. Circumstances about what happened to the men's boat or how long they had been stranded were not released.
Stranded Kayaker Rescued from Cliffside
2/5/26 – Littlefield, AZ
A stranded kayaker was rescued from the side of a cliff after attempting to climb out of a canyon in northwestern Arizona on the evening of 5 February.
Deputies with the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) received a call from the friend of a 44-year-old man, who said he got stranded while kayaking the Virgin River gorge near Elephant Arch, about 12 miles northeast of Littlefield, Arizona.
Man Climbed Steep Canyon, Reached Impassable Cliff
The man was traveling down the river when his kayak started filling with water, according to MCSO Search and Rescue. He reportedly brought the kayak to shore and decided to climb out of the gorge. He climbed about 1,000 feet up the steep canyon wall before reaching an impassable cliff face.
Technical rope rescue teams from the Arizona State Search and Rescue Unit and the Kingman Search and Rescue Unit found the man 200 feet below the canyon rim.
Rescuers hiked about a half-mile to the top of the canyon wall, set up a rope system, and two team members rappelled to the kayaker. Crews then hoisted him to the rim. The man was not injured and was taken back to his vehicle.
2 Boaters Helped to Land After Vessel Sinks
2/9/26 – Mobile, AL
Two people were helped to land after their boat sank in Alabama’s Dog River on the afternoon of 9 February, according to Mobile Fire-Rescue Department officials.
Sam Mendenhall and Sean Rogers were out fishing in Mobile Bay near Dog River when things started going wrong with their boat.
“Everything go through your mind so fast, but we just we were just thinking about helping each other get to the land,” Mendenhall said.
The men said that while they were about 300 yards from shore, trying to catch bait, their boat started having motor issues.
“We try to get it started,” Mendenhall said. “And when we try to get it started, it was taking on water and like I say, we didn’t panic. We did what we can, we know to do due to safety and when water came, it wasn’t no stopping it.”
Mendenhall and Rogers said they were forced to jump out of the boat into the frigid waters of Mobile Bay. Officials with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab told local reporters that the water was at about 56 degrees when the men went in the water, a temperature at which hypothermia can start in minutes.
“We was just so nervous,” Mendenhall said. “Adrenaline was flowing. We were just trying to get to the shore.”
Good Samaritan, PFDs ‘Saved Lives’: Rescued Boaters
Luckily, they were spotted by a good Samaritan who picked the men up and brought them to safety.
Mendenhall and Rogers credited the bystander and their life vests for still being here to share their story.
“It saved lives and those who don’t listen, will found that hard way,” Mendenhall said. “But we take safety to the heart. And that was probably what saved our lives. “
Fire Engulfs 2 Boats in Marina del Rey
2/11/26 – Los Angeles Co., CA
Fire crews responded to a boat fire late night on 11 February in Marina del Rey, California, which spread to at least one other vessel, authorities said.
Crews responded to the fire at the 4500 block of Via Marina at around 10:06 p.m., with officials explaining that a 50-foot power vessel docked between two other boats was involved in the fire. The flames spread to at least one neighboring boat.
No people were on board, authorities said, and the cause of the fire remained under investigation.
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