POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A boat captain spoke out about saving a group of divers from a sinking boat off Pompano Beach.
Cellphone video captured the moments when the Safari Diver capsized and began to sink into the water Sunday afternoon.
A scary situation on the water when a dive boat takes a dive, leaving seven people waiting in the waves for rescue.
“It’s a serious situation when you have a boat go down like that, people could have been hurt,” said dive boat Captain Oliver Paoli.
It happened Sunday afternoon just off of Pompano Beach.
Paoli was among the first to race to the rescue in his boat, Aqua Life Diver.
“We went over as fast, and the boat went fast like it knew what was going on,” he said.
The crew of the fishing charter boat Starlight called for help. Shannon Stuckey was on that boat taking video.
“The next thing you know, we hear mayday and he does a turn. and I’m like, ‘Wait a minute, that dive boat is going under,’” Stuckey said.
They started tossing life jackets into the water as Aqua Life Diver pulled up with a ladder, pulling the seven people to safety.
Their boat, the Safari Diver sunk in a matter of minutes.
In the end, everyone was safe with no injuries, thanks to the quick action of boat captains with decades of experience on the water.
“We are here for safety, that’s what we do every day. We make sure people are having fun and are safe,” Paoli said.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.