Beaches Fire Department rescues stranded boaters from St. Joseph Bay

Gulf County Beaches Volunteer Fire Department’s water rescue team successfully brought two stranded boaters back to shore near the Highland View Bridge Thursday.

GCBFVD recieved a call at 11:33 a.m. that two boaters were in need of rescue after their vessel had taken on significant amounts of water.

The water rescue team arrived at the scene at 11:40 a.m. and were able to safely recover both boaters.

“Two folks from out of town were in a boat that started taking on water,” Gulf County Emergency Management Director Matt Herring said. “About half the boat was filled with water when it ran aground on a sandbar just inside the St. Joseph Bay.”

Beaches Fire Department was assisted in the rescue by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the St. Joe Volunteer Fire Department, the Highland View Volunteer Fire Department and South Gulf Fire Rescue.

“It was a collaborative effort,” Herring said. 

No injuries were reported at the scene.