SAN DIEGO, California (9 Oct 2008) — A dive boat ran aground south of Mission Bay with 13 passengers onboard. Authorities told CDNN that the 32-ft dive charter boat DND II issued a mayday call after the vessel ran aground at Dog Beach. Liveguards responding to the emergency safely removed the passengers and crew, who were not injured in the accident. Rescue officials in San Diego said conditions were good when the accident happened. The Coast Guard confirmed that Dive Connections, which owns the dive boat, sent another dive boat to the site of the accident in an attempt to pull the boat off the beach. But the Coast Guard ordered Dive Connections to leave the area stating that they did not want to have another boat to salvage. "They didn't have the horsepower, manpower or equipment to pull that boat off the beach," said Coast Guard Vessel Assist Captain Rob Butler. "We have experienced ocean swimmers to take lines to the boat, a 900 hp tow vessel and 30,000-gallon-per-hour pumping capacity. It's a safety thing." "The Coast Guard didn't want to have more people in the water and possibly another boat to salvage," Butler added. "It was one of those things that, if we'd have waited, this boat would have drifted right up the river and onto the rocks." | 
