CG Ends Search for Missing Boater

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Coast Guard rescue crews at Sector San Juan ended their search pending further developments for a missing boater in waters south of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.

The missing boater was one of three men from Puerto Rico on a recreational fishing trip aboard a 14-foot vessel.  The boaters reportedly fell into the water after they lost control of their vessel when it went into a spiral.

The Coast Guard launched a multi-day search after Coast Guard Watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a call from a 911 Emergency Services operator Monday night, who notified that one the boaters called in the incident after he reportedly swam for two hours before safely reaching shore.

Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, launched a HH-65 Dolphin helicopter, while Coast Guard Boat Forces in Saint Croix launched a 25-foot Response Boat to search for the two remaining boaters.  

The crew of a Coast Guard helicopter located the boater's vessel right-side up, in waters approximately 4.5 nautical miles southwest of the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in Saint Croix, however, no signs of the missing boaters were found.

The crew of a Boat Forces Saint Croix response boat located and recovered a deceased boater from the water, approximately 2.5 nautical miles southwest of the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in Saint Croix.

Since the search began Monday, Coast Guard rescue crews conducted a total of 19 searches alongside the Coast Guard Auxiliary and Saint Croix’s Blue Lightning Maritime Police. Coast Guard rescue crews searched approximately 1,039 square nautical miles with surface and air assets, which also included a Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry and a Coast Guard Auxiliary fixed-wing aircraft.

If anyone has any information on the missing boater they are asked to contact the Coast Guard by VHF radio on Channel 16.