Boat Capsizes Near Miami Beach: 4 Rescued

MIAMI BEACH, FL — When first responders received a 9-1-1 call on Tuesday morning that a boat was taking on water just off South Beach, they didn't immediately know where to focus the search. But one of the victims told a dispatcher he could see Fisher Island. By the time Miami-Dade Fireboat 73 found the capsized boat, four men were huddled on the hull of their small vessel.

"They could see Fisher Island. That kind of steered us to go out through Government Cut," explained Rob Johnson, who was operating Fireboat 73 shortly after 8 a.m. when the call came in. (Sign up for our free Daily Newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Miami Beach Patch.)

The U.S. Coast Guard and Miami Beach Police Department's marine unit also participated in the rescue.

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"We had two-to-four-foot seas," Johnson told Patch. "You go in and out of sight just as quickly as the waves come and go. It makes it that much more difficult."

See related story: Boating Fatalities Up 12 Percent Across US

The approximately 20-fo0t fishing boat was located 1.5 miles east of Government Cut in a channel used by cruise lines and cargo ships. The water was about 50-feet deep.

Crew member Rob Pepper of Fireboat 73 told Patch that the victims included a father and his son and two of the son's friends. The son and his friends were young adults.

"They were fishing and they were moving from spot to spot and all of a sudden they looked back and waves started coming over the transom of the boat," Pepper explained. First responders helped them aboard Fireboat 73 from the overturned boat.

"They were excited to step on a boat that was sitting right side up," he added.

Lt. Lay Felipe of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said that the fishing boat had been anchored in rough seas and didn't appear to have been equipped with a VHF radio, which hampered the rescue.

"They anchored and the waves overtook them," Felipe said. "That's a safety message for boaters out there. If you ever have waves — when it's choppy out there — don't anchor your boat because your boat can't go with the water. It will become a fixed object, and depending on the size of waves, they'll overtake your vessel."

He said the victims were lucky that they had mobile phone service.

"Fortunately they were able to access 9-1-1 through Miami-Dade's dispatch system and we were able to send out the boat," he said, noting that the victims were brought to shore at a Marina near Jungle Island. No one was injured.

Watch as Miami-Dade Fireboat 73 spots the capsized boat:

Watch as the victims are transported to shore:

Photo and videos courtesy of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue