Man swept away while making repairs to pontoon boat off Florida island, deputies say
An attempt to repair a pontoon boat off West Florida’s Crab Island turned deadly, when one of the boaters was swept away by strong currents.
It happened Sunday, May 29, and his body was recovered on Memorial Day, May 30, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
The identity of the victim has not been released, but his family lives in another country, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators say the victim was with a group of people in a rented pontoon boat at the time of the accident.
“He and friends were having boat issues and several of them jumped in the water to try to fix it when the current pushed him away — and under the water,” the sheriff’s office said in a release.
“The other four individuals in the water were rescued.”
Multiple law enforcement agencies and a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helicopter joined the search for the missing swimmer, officials said.
Details of where and when the body was found were not released.
Crab Island is a sandbar “at the southern entrance of the Choctawhatchee Bay” on the Florida Panhandle, according to Destin Vacation Boat Rentals.
It is a popular gathering spot for swimmers, but is considered dangerous due to heavy boat traffic, strong currents and sudden drop-offs, the sheriff’s office says. Multiple people die at the site each year, the sheriff’s office reports.
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