Four boaters rescued after boat overturns near Navarre Beach

According to a press release from the Santa Rosa County Public Information Office, four boaters were rescued in the joint efforts of local first-responders and United States Coast Guard after their catamaran vessel overturned this afternoon.  No severe injuries were reported in the incident.

Joy Tsubooka, the SRC public information officer,  provided the following timeline of events of the incident:

•        2:33 p.m. SRC Emergency Communications received the call from Navarre Beach Lifeguards and others on the beach about an overturned catamaran. Initial reports was that it was located two to three miles off shore, west of the Navarre Beach Pier.  First responders staged at Beach Walkover #5 (near the new hotel construction).

•        Weather conditions initially hindered their ability to launch rescue crafts from the beach, at 3:17 p.m. Navarre Beach Fire was able to launch a jet ski.

•        At 3:26, the jet ski made contact with the four boaters, none had severe injuries. Two were pulled in via jet ski.

•        Coast Guard arrived and had the other two boaters aboard their boat by 4 p.m. The boaters were then transferred to the beach staging area for medical evaluation via Navarre Beach Fire jet ski.

•        All four boaters were evaluated by Lifeguard Ambulance staff and needed no further medical care.

•        USCG has advised that salvage of the vessel will be the responsibility of the boat owner.

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Four boaters rescued after boat overturns near Navarre Beach