POMPANO BEACH, Fla. — Broward Sheriff's Office deputies rescued five people last month after their boat sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
The rescue occurred Jan. 7 about 3 miles east of the Hillsboro Inlet.
Deputies received a distress call from the boaters who said their 30-foot boat was taking on water.
Deputies Daniel Rocha and Jay Dunning were on marine patrol when they heard the call on their radio and hurried to help.
As they approached the area, the deputies spotted smoke coming from a handheld flare and knew they were close.
Rocha and Dunning saw an orange life raft in the distance with three people inside and two others holding onto it in the water.
The stranded boaters were pulled onto the BSO marine patrol boat one by one and given life jackets and water.
Rocha and Dunning attribute the successful rescue to the coordinates they obtained from the boat operator's 911 call.
They said the men were appreciative and thankful to be alive.
