Sorry about the size mis-information.
Glad to hear everyone is in process of recovering and that the injuries wern't anymore severve then what they were.
It looks as if it was just a freak set that tripped him up. Cudos to him for allowing the paper to post the video so others may learn from it.
Nice to see as well for once that no alcohol was involved in a boating accident video, AND that all the occupants all had life vests on! Both factors probably saved them from much more serious injury.

ZP, that was part of the new rules for the Emerald Coast PR this year. Life jackets were mandatory for all on board and absolutely no alcohol for the captain. They (FPC, I think. May have been Emerald Coast foundation) actually "asked" that no alcohol be brought on board at all during the run itself but they didn'y make that mandatory.

BTW, it wasn't a freak set of waves. Again, that pass is always rough and, at times, not for the faint of heart. You need to be aware of your surroundings, familiar with your equipment and know your limitations as a captain.

My take on the video is that he had a few "warnings" before the big one hit.

Dito

Soooo much to be learned from a shot like that. Hope the captain and his crew have a speedy recovery. For you "know it all safety guys" - go back to your solar powered 3MPH boats and post your opinions to someone that cares. This guy have a high performance boat, drove it fast, trimmed it out, and prolly had the time of his life before the sudden stop. I can only assume (and I do based on the fact that it was an event and not a Sunday cruise) that the crew felt the same way. This is not a first, nor will it be the last, if it was -the thrill of offshore performance boating would simply go away. Nature of the beast!

"This is your captain, we're going on an offshore type boat ride. It's a huge thrill. I'll probably bury the throttles and drive to the edge of my ability so you can all experience the rush and see the cool video later. There's a probability that I'll stuff it. This will mean you may go flying out of the cockpit or suffer severe internal injuries. I'm sure you all agree it's worth it. So, let's hop on board!"

Yep, we should all get off our safety high-horses. Right......

Seriously though, I sincerely hope those involved in this accident enjoy a full recovery.

Amen. I've logged many hours on a 32 Dominator. 99% of those hours I felt totally comfortable and still got the thrill you experience in offshore boating. 1% of them I wanted to swim back to the dock because the captain drove as you described above and we almost flipped the boat. You can never totally eliminate the risks, but you sure can mitigate them with proper driving technique and not exceeding your or the boat's limits.

I'm with ya Freq. I'll stay on my "safety high-horse" thank you very much. As I said in another thread about this incident. The captain should know at least these three things before piloting the vessel.

1) Know your surroundings (wind, seas, tides, jetties)
2) Know your equipment and it's capabilities
3) Know YOUR capabilities

This could have been a tragic accident. As it is, someone suffered a cracked pelvis and internal injuries. Poor judgement - period.

Well said!
Years ago I took my first boating safety course from
the FWB Power Squadron. They spent a lot of time about
going through inlets safely. Specifically how dangerous the
Destin Pass could be.

First, boating should be safe. Then, it can and should be fun!

yeah rrrright.
 

Kims... Many boaters have the $ to get HP boats. many have no clue how to drive/use them. Thus.. the unfortunate incidents, and accidents... Being an owner of a HP boat means adrenaline. True.. but it also better mean common sence and reason. I do not fault the driver. I was not in the boat. I do fault and BLAME irrisponsible hot dogs, who think they can drive a HP boat, (just because they have one) and put the passangers in danger. A true HP boater knows when to push it and when to take the throttle back for safety. Slowing down and being safety aware is not loosing the race or loosing photo ops. It means that we have concerns for the passangers so we can get the photo ops, another and better day. I was there. I seen some reckless driving.
(Didn't seen him, so I can't really say, speciffically)

I wish speedy recovery to all, never the less.