"Forget crap their paints, a passenger died in that boat when it stuffed...
Details, please? "

This was about ten years later when the incident happened. Not associated with this video. It was July 2001. Beach patrol officer also stated that conditions were fairly calm that day...which could mean 2-3's would be my guess...?

"A man was killed this weekend when the 41 foot speed boat he was riding in hit a large wave. Steven Waller struck his head on the windshield and was thrown overboard as the boat raced at speeds exceeding 60 miles per hour. The accident occurred several thousand feet off of New Smyrna Beach, on Florida's east coast.

Officials are investigating whether the boat's owner, Yves Belanger, was operating the vessel recklessly. A beach lifeguard who witnessed the accident rushed to the scene on a personal watercraft, but was unable to revive an unconscious Waller. Initial reports say that Waller suffered severe head trauma."



Second papers account:

"Beach Patrol officers rushed on water scooters and boats to pull Steven Waller, 43, out of the water. He was flown to Bert Fish Medical Center, but he never regained consciousness, said Beach Patrol Deputy Chief Bill Bussinger.

Waller was riding in a high-speed boat with friend Yves Belanger, also of Sanford, when the boat struck a wave and tossed the man into the air.

He hit his head on the boat before falling into the water, Bussinger said.

Belanger, who received bumps and bruises from the accident, tried to pull his friend back into the boat.

"He leaned over the boat and was able to grab hold of him by hand," Bussinger said.

The ocean was fairly calm when the accident happened just before 11 a.m. Investigators, who said the boat was going 60 to 70 mph, aren't sure whether the wave caused the boat to partially dip under the water or flipped the bow into the air.

Belanger and Waller were regulars on that part of the beach.

"We see that boat out almost every weekend," Bussinger said."

This was taken after a big Cold Front has blown thru and left the swells and stirred up cloudy water.Nice swells to run through.

Enjoyed many a day doing the same thing after a front passed on Lake Michigan back in the day but see it more often during the winter here on the Gulf these days where I live.

Lol....the next suggested video is my buddies 41 running here in our local backyard.

Looked like a fun ride.

41 apache rough water 2: http://youtu.be/cCw_SHSwCC4

Live right on Lake Ontario and boat the ocean as well. Very familiar with Great Lakes boating, ran a charter boat for many years. Know exactly how rough they can get. It would surprise a lot of ocean runners to see what these great lakes can deliver! When it comes hard you don't want to be out there!

That being said cameras lack depth perception and this is bad early 90's low res footage. These "rollers" have some steepness to them due to coming up onto the shallows. Note 2-3 minute area where some break over and notice the wind licking the tops a tad at some points.Hard to see but check close. Would you care to take your best guess on the height of those rollers....? Remeber 3-5 footers even on HD with good light from a chopper looks like nothing.....

Brotha i wish i had some,,just a quick story to tell..we were heading back from indiana to chicago in a friends 27 zx and another friend has a 42 searay twin in boards.. the cruiser said ill be hammer down in 15 ' footters and he said stay close to me and it should be smooth sailing for you guys,,well after the girls holding on for dear life in the cabin and me and a friend taking money shots in the face fron lake michigan and seeing the props of a 42 searay i would have to say they lied about the 15 footers..felt more like 30 footers..

^^^^ Heheheg : ) Okay......

Nothing like a casual Sunday cruise to grandmas house for a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. Great video. And as far as boating the Great Lakes and ocean, I have done both and they both demand respect.

You know...I'm a big flag-waver for the difficulty Lake Michigan presents...but those are not just "swells," that is HUGE water, that takes HUGE balls and a capable boat to successfully navigate. I've been in some chit on Lake Michigan...but I've never consistently launched waves and hung in the air like in the video.

There is a time and place to say "Great Lakes are the roughest water," but in light of this video...everything I've experienced and watched on a video pales. 90% of the guys on this site would not have left the harbor on that day...and that might be a low estimate.

And your story about being in big waves in a 27 footer...yeah...a 4 foot wave looks a lot bigger in a 27 foot boat than it does in a 37 foot boat. A true 15 or 30 foot wave...and you'd most likely not be here relating the tale...

Exactly, that is huge water. The difference is the spacing in between the waves and having time to prepare for the next one. People have no idea how big of balls it takes to drive into a wave like that at 70 mph plus

If I remember correctly, the Grand Haven race was black flagged for 8-10ft waves in 1990. Too rough for the 47 apaches.