Two people needed rescuing from the waters near Tampa Bay, along with their dog, after their small boat sank after colliding with the wake of an unnamed cruise ship.
The two adults were left stranded after their boat hit the wake of the cruise ship and capsized. Along with their dog, they were able to swim to a buoy where they awaited rescue.
The exact cruise ship responsible for the wake remains unclear, but both Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas and Enchantment of the Seas were docked at Florida’s Port Tampa Bay that day.
It’s also not clear who was at fault for the incident, with the focus being on the passenger rescue.
The victims, left clinging to a buoy after their vessel sank, were spotted by passengers onboard one of the ships, who alerted the crew.
Tampa Bay Harbor pilots Michael Stutevoss and Dan Hammer, guiding one of the cruise ships out of the port at sunset, quickly acted upon the sighting.
You can see a video of the rescue here:
🚤𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞🚤
— HCSO (@HCSOSheriff) January 6, 2025
On January 4, 2025, at 6:11 p.m., our Aviation and Marine sections, along with HCSO Fire Rescue and the Coast Guard, located two injured individuals and their dog, who were in a boating accident. Their boat hit a wake from a cruise ship near… pic.twitter.com/x0ufMVDzdK
The cruise line deployed its “man overboard” team, and the pilots contacted the US Coast Guard St. Petersburg Sector and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office to expedite the rescue.
At approximately 6 pm, first responders successfully located the two passengers and their dog clinging to the buoy, about 200 yards from the debris of their boat.
Both individuals suffered unspecified injuries and were transported to a local hospital for treatment.
A challenging operation
The rescue was fraught with complications, from poor visibility during twilight hours to the risk of hypothermia in Tampa Bay’s 64°F waters. Harbor pilot Michael Stutevoss highlighted the dangers:
“Hypothermia can set in very quickly. Even though we are in Florida, hypothermia can set in.”
Michael Stutevoss, Tampa Bay Harbor Pilot
Matthew Riley, piloting a nearby cargo ship and aiding the search, emphasized the difficulty of spotting the stranded trio. He said it was like looking for “shadows in the water” and said he was worried about potentially running over the victims while trying to find them.
This incident underscores the risks that large cruise ships pose to smaller vessels.
Cruise ship wakes, powerful and often deceptively far-reaching, can violently destabilize nearby boats, leading to capsizing and injuries.
In this case, the timely actions of harbour pilots, first responders, and alert passengers turned what could have been a tragic situation into a successful rescue, emphasising the importance of vigilance and coordination in protecting lives on the water.
Hopefully the victims recover from their injuries quickly!
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
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They should remove the NO JOGGING sign