Couple and dog found clinging to slippery hull of boat in Florida inlet, video shows

A day on the water turned potentially deadly when rough seas left two boaters clinging to the slippery bottom of their boat in a turbulent Florida inlet.

The couple and a dog were discovered around 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, in the St. Augustine Inlet, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said in a Feb. 20 Facebook post. The Atlantic Coast inlet is about a 40-mile drive south from Jacksonville.

Video shows the boat was being tossed by waves and was nearly submerged at points until a rescue boat pulled alongside. Deputies arrived to find a man holding the woman tight between his knees, and she was holding the dog to her chest.

“Thankfully nobody was injured. ... Weather conditions on the water that day were poor. Strong winds and large swells made for rough seas,” the sheriff’s office said.

“They had life jackets onboard but the boat flipped so fast they couldn’t get to them in time. The female onboard was able to call 911. It (took) about 10 to 15 minutes for us to locate them.”

The couple was dropped off at the Vilano Fishing Pier north of the inlet.

The St. Augustine Inlet is known for being “dynamic” at a point where the Tolomato and Matanzas rivers converge, according to Marinas.com.

“The inlet is potentially hazardous during storm conditions when wind meets current,” the site reports.

This story was originally published February 21, 2025 at 8:47 AM with the headline "Couple and dog found clinging to slippery hull of boat in Florida inlet, video shows."