WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, North Carolina (11 June 2008) — A group of 13 recreational deep sea divers — who were imperiled when their 48-foot dive boat began taking on water — were rescued by the 70-foot yacht Andiamo approximately 30 miles offshore Wednesday afternoon. The Andiamo arrived approximately five minutes prior to a 25-foot Defender-class boat dispatched by Coast Guard Station Wrightsville Beach. Two vessels from Coast Guard Station Oak Island were also dispatched to the site where the Aquatic Safaris I took on water near Frying Pan Tower. Petty Officer Josh Weaver of Coast Guard Station Wrightsville Beach said a rescue helicopter was dispatched but was called back. The Andiamo transported the 13 passengers to Bridge Tender Marina in Wrightsville Beach while the three crew members of Aquatic Safaris I remained behind to help fix the leak. On Wednesday night, Aquatic Safaris I was headed back to Bridge Tender Marina under its own power, said Weaver. Julia Weidow of Baltimore, Md., said she and her husband, Harold, were finishing their third day of deep sea diving when things took an unexpected turn around noon on Wednesday. "We were heading back in, and all of a sudden, you heard this loud bang, and we thought, 'Oh, boy!'" Weidow recalled. "We figured a (propeller) hit something. Then, we could hear the water coming in at the engine." Dave Guanzini, a member of the diving group, said the crew of Aquatic Safaris I performed admirably after the boat began taking on water. "They were automatic," Guanzini said. "They had a distress call out that they had 13 people on board plus three mates. They went and plugged the hole right away. All the pumps were going, and they were good to go. They told us to put on our life jackets, and we just waited for the other boat." | | A Coast Guard 25-foot Defender-class vessel assists Aquatic Safaris I near Frying Pan Tower Wednesday afternoon. (Jeremy Eaton) Scott Corbett, a mate for Aquatic Safaris, said the cause of the accident is still unknown, but the 13 passengers could not have been in better hands under the circumstances. Corbett said all the company's boats are Coast Guard certified, and the crews are trained for just such an event. "These boats go through a pretty rigorous inspection each and every year — they're complicated machines. Even with the best care, they can and do break down occasionally, but these guys couldn't have been in better hands." |
