A catamaran flipped near the Cape Coral Yacht Club early Saturday evening, resulting in the deaths of two people, injuries to one, and leaving one person missing, until search crews located the missing individual on Sunday.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), four people were on board when the catamaran capsized. Three were rushed to the hospital; two were pronounced dead, and one remains in critical but stable condition.
The fourth person had been missing until Sunday afternoon, when Sea Tow crews, who were actively assisting in the search, discovered the body. Sea Tow personnel on scene confirmed the recovery.
Credit: Sea Tow
Trevor Zaminak witnessed the crash and described the terrifying scene.
“We were just coming through the idol right out front of Gulf Harbor. We looked turned around, we saw a high-speed catamaran, and it flipped pretty much end over end behind us,” said Zaminak.
Zaminak and those on his boat immediately sprang into action.
“Immediately we turned around, went to see if anyone needed to be rescued,” said Zaminak. “Sadly, we did find someone that needed to be rescued and brought him on the boat as fast as we could, started giving him CPR.”
Zaminak recounted his efforts to save a life.
“I was on the phone with 911 just hoping that we could do everything we possibly could to give him the best chance, and he started breathing again,” said Zaminak.
The scene at the Cape Coral Yacht Club was filled with flashing red and blue lights as rescuers worked tirelessly.
“We have numerous vessels on the water. We have multiple aviation assets as well as underwater radar, sonar, and dive teams,” said Bradley Johnson, FWC Public Information Officer.
The windy conditions have complicated the search efforts.
“The conditions throughout the night were not ideal, and it still remains to be pretty windy conditions today, so that does provide a complication,” said Johnson.
Despite these challenges, Johnson expressed confidence in the ongoing efforts.
“We’re confident that, you know, we’re doing everything we can to try for the best possible outcome,” said Johnson.
Zaminak remains hopeful for a positive outcome.
“We’re really hoping that he pulled through, did kind of everything we could when he was on the boat,” said Zaminak.