JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three boaters remain missing on Saturday night after their boat capsized on the St. Johns River on Friday night.
Eight people were on the boat when it capsized around the Dames Point Bridge and Goat Island. Four were found safe, but one of the boaters did pass away and three more people, two children and an adult, remain missing.
RELATED: 1 dead, 3 missing after boat capsizes in St. Johns River
Rod Sullivan has worked in maritime law for over 40 years dealing with recreational boating accidents.
He says with searches like these, the longer they go on, the more difficult they become.
“It gets more and more difficult,” he said. “Things drift with the current of the river one way or another. And it just makes it very hard for a diver to find somebody, especially after 24 hours.”
He says no matter the experience level, when the sun goes down, driving a boat can become especially dangerous.
“In 40 years of doing this, I can only recall one fatality that didn’t occur at night,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan adds that the reason for the 18-foot-boat flipping could have been caused by hitting an object, or even a large wake, both of which can be hard to spot with extremely limited light, a primary reason why Sullivan urges people to avoid boating at night.
And if they must, he advises them to take it slow.
“What you can’t see is what it is that will actually hurt you,” he said.
The Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission says they are working alongside the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Clay County Sheriff’s Office to continue the search.
In a statement, they say they have vessels and dive teams actively searching the area and urge the public to avoid the search zone to allow divers and officers to work safely.
