Four rescued from capsized boat near Santa Cruz

UPDATE 5:51 PM 12/28/2016 – A morning at sea turned into a nightmare for four people from Santa Cruz when their boat capsized Wednesday morning. The four boaters clung to the capsized hull for at least a half hour before a charter boat nearby discovered them two miles off the coast of Natural Bridges. Crews were unable to flip the boat over at sea. It was towed back to shore and turned upright at the dock. KION arrived as medics were treating three of the victims for mild hypothermia. The passengers told harbor police that a wave hit the boat, causing them to tip. “The boat started filling up and then, all of a sudden, it just tipped over,” said a passenger who was identified as Jan. “I was stuck underneath the boat and I couldn’t find my way out and finally I got out before I ran out of breath and hung there on the side for I don’t know what, 20 minutes, 30 minutes? The charter boat discovered one of the victims waving them down. The charter immediately contacted the Coast Guard. Harbor Patrol responded. “The rescue operation took about half an hour. We had to extradite the victims one at a time from their overturned boat onto our patrol boat (and) give them medical assistance,” said Senior Deputy Harbormaster Don Kinnamon. “Once we had everyone on board, we rushed them back onto the Santa Cruz Harbor, where we had fire and medics ready on arrival.” Though Harbor Patrol is prepared to handle situations like this one, they urge boaters to take every measure necessary to stay safe. “Be wearing that life jacket, so that when an incident like this does occur you’re ready to go,” said Kinnamon. “Luckily enough, these four people had life jackets at the time of the incident.” The fourth victim, reportedly the boat owner, was treated and later released from the hospital.

PREVIOUS STORY:

Rescuers pulled four people from the cold waters of Monterey Bay Wednesday, after their small boat capsized about two miles offshore of Natural Bridges State Park.

At around 10 a.m., a fishing crew spotted the boat and alerted the Coast Guard.

Four people were rescued, among them a woman who reportedly was trapped below the boat. A tow pulled the capsized boat to harbor where it was hauled onto land.

A spokesperson from the Harbormaster’s office said the accident should serve as a reminder for boaters to check ocean conditIons before leaving shore.

Tonight at 6 p.m., KION’s Zach Fuentes reports on the rescue and talks to two of the rescued boaters.

ORIGINAL STORY: Santa Cruz harbor officials confirm that four people have been rescued from an overturned boat two miles offshore of Natural Bridges State Park.

The incident was reported Wednesday morning to the Coast Guard by the crew of a fishing boat.

KION’s Zach Fuentes is en route to the scene and will update the story shortly.