24-foot Special Purpose Craft - Shallow Water (USCG File Photo )
Rescued were John Hinojosa, Bruce Yates and Ted Woody.
At approximately 4:40 p.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Station Pensacola received a call via cell phone from one of the three men in distress, who reported that their 26-foot cuddy cabin vessel sank in shallow water. The three men reportedly headed out to go fishing around 4:30 p.m., when their boat began to list and then sank.
A Coast Guard Station Pensacola 24-foot Special Purpose Craft-Shallow Water response boat (SPC-SW) and crew arrived on scene within minutes of the initial distress call and brought the men back to the station.
Only one of the three men was wearing a life jacket when rescuers arrived.
The three reported no injuries or medical concerns.
“Their boat had apparently sunk straight down in waist-deep water, and the hull was on the bottom,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Phillip Gennuso, a member of the Coast Guard rescue crew.
Emergencies come without warning, so the Coast Guard recommends properly wearing a life jacket at all times while on the water as it will help increase your chances of survival during an unforeseen incident.
