Accidents of the Week - March 29, 2025
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Teens Safe After Going Missing While Paddle Boarding
3/17/25 – Levy Co., FL
Two teenagers who went missing while paddle boarding in Northwest Florida’s Cedar Key on 17 March were found safe, according to the Sheriff's Office in Levy County.
"The girls have been located. Cold but otherwise healthy," the sheriff's office said on 18 March in an update on social media. Deputies said the teens were discovered by search volunteers, early morning, near Porpoise Point in the area of Yankeetown – about 14 miles southeast of Cedar Key.
The previous day, the two 16-year-old girls had been reported missing after they failed to return from a paddle boarding trip in Cedar Key, according to the Levy County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities said the girls had last been seen around 4 p.m., paddling toward Cedar Key from Atsena Otie. The teens were sharing a black-and-white paddleboard.
A search operation was launched on water and from the air by the Levy County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and the Coast Guard.
Four Fire Engines Sent to San Diego Boat Blaze
3/16/25 – San Diego, CA
Crews with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) responded to reports of a boat fire in San Diego’s Point Loma, in Southern California.
SDFD first reported the incident at 12:06 p.m. on 16 March, listing the area as 4950 North Harbor Drive. The department also noted that a total of 37 personnel were assigned to the incident, along with four fire engines.
No evacuation orders were issued and there were no reports of injuries.
Coast Guard Suspends Search for Missing Free Diver
3/15/25 – Naples, FL
The search for a missing free diver off the coast of Naples, Florida, was called off.
On 15 March, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search for 36-year-old Drake Sweet, who disappeared while free diving 70 miles offshore.
Emergency Beacon Prompted Coast Guard Search
Sweet was out on a 21-foot personal vessel with a friend on the night of 13 March when he went down and never resurfaced. His friend activated an emergency beacon, prompting a multi-unit search from the Fort Myers Beach and Clearwater Coast Guard Stations.
Crews scoured the area by air and sea, covering deep waters of about 130 feet. After searching around 4,275 square miles, the coast guard called off efforts on the morning of 15 March.
Body of Missing Kayaker Found at South Carolina Lake
3/15/25 – Orangeburg Co., SC
The body of a missing kayaker was found on the afternoon of 16 March, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) reported.
The body was recovered at South Carolina’s Lake Marion by a dive team using a sonar, according to SCDNR. Officials said the search began after an unoccupied kayak with equipment was found on 15 March. Investigators were able to track the owner of the kayak and used ping technology to find their last known location.
Nick Huddleston was visiting the lake for a fishing tournament when he saw the empty kayak floating on the Lake. “Just happened to see something in the water a little ways away. Started getting closer to it, drove towards it and saw it was a kayak that had flipped over,” said Huddleston.
“It had been full of water; we tried to tow it and it was so full of water, we had to leave it near a tree... at that point I tried to contact DNR."
Four Rescued After Boat Sinks in Tampa Bay
3/15/25 – St Petersburg, FL
Four people were rescued by a U.S. Coast Guard crew from Tampa Bay on 15 March after their 18-foot boat sank near Bayboro Harbor in St. Petersburg.
A photo showed the boaters awaiting rescue while floating in the water. While three of them were wearing life vests, a fourth person without a flotation device could be seen clinging to the other boaters.
Authorities said all four people were safely pulled from the water. Two of them were taken on a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office boat to meet up with St. Pete Fire Rescue at St. Pete Municipal Marina.
Crews also managed to salvage the boaters’ sunken vessel, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Officials did not state what might have caused the boat to sink.
911 Calls Save Kayakers in Distress on Florida River
3/11/25 – Fort Meyers, FL
A dramatic rescue unfolded on 11 March as emergency crews responded to urgent 911 calls reporting kayakers in distress.
There were two kayakers in the river, “and they were struggling because the waves are so high, and now one of the kayaks just flipped so the kayaker’s in the water,” said a caller to the Police Department in Fort Myers, Florida.
Emergency responders pulled one man from the river near downtown Fort Myers. After confirming he was okay, they continued searching for the second kayaker. The rescued kayaker informed authorities that he last saw the other kayaker near Lofton Island.
More 911 calls provided crucial information to help locate the missing kayaker. “The other person, I think, came in, but this person’s floating, He’s waving his hand like he’s in trouble. There’s somebody in the kayak,” said another caller.
Water Too Shallow for Rescue Boat
When rescuers finally spotted the lone kayaker, they encountered a new challenge—the water was too shallow for their boat to reach him. “We can’t go too much further than way, it’s going to get too shallow, we can’t come to you anymore because it’s too shallow,” said the rescuers.
The kayaker maneuvered himself to the rescue boat with assistance from people on shore who were also calling 911.
With everyone’s help, both kayakers were led to safety just as the sun began to set. Fortunately, both individuals were expected to be okay.
Man Reported Missing from Kayak at North Texas Lake
3/18/25 – Fort Worth, TX
Emergency crews responded to a possible drowning call on the morning of 18 March, after a man was reported missing from his kayak at Benbrook Lake in Tarrant County (Fort Worth), Texas, authorities said.
At about 10:45 a.m., a caller reported an incident just off Baja Bear near the dam at the north end of the lake, Texas Game Wardens said.
Texas Game Wardens along with Benbrook and Fort Worth Fire Department crews were all on the scene that afternoon to assist in the search.
Pilot Crew Rescues Family from Sinking Yacht
3/18/25 – Charleston, SC
A nine-year-old girl and her parents were rescued from South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor by the crew of the Pilot Launch Fort Moultrie, after their yacht struck the north jetty.
At 2 a.m. on 18 March, the crew heard a distress call relayed by the Coast Guard that a 60-foot yacht had struck the north jetty, according to a press release. Charleston Pilot Launch Captains Montgomery Stafford and Jess Kunkle, along with Harbor Pilot Doug Logan and Apprentice Stephanie Kelly, responded to the call.
Family Hoisted Aboard Pilot Launch Before Yacht Sinks
When they arrived, the yacht was on top of the jetty’s rocks with the family still on board. Stafford moved the 75-foot Fort Moultrie as close as possible to the jetty. Kelly communicated with the Coast Guard and others and Logan and Kunkle hoisted the family aboard their ship.
The Coast Guard arrived shortly after and the family was transferred from the Fort Moultrie to a Coast Guard boat where they were then taken back to shore.
The family did not sustain any injuries. After the rescue of the family, the yacht sank after washing over the jetty.
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