Coast Guard locates missing boaters off Key West
KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) - The United States Coast Guard has located four boaters who had failed to return home from a snorkeling trip off of Key West.
The Coast Guard said in a news release on Wednesday that the boaters left Banana Bay Resort in a 25-foot boat on Tuesday for a snorkeling trip about six miles north of Key West. A concerned family member contacted the Coast Guard Tuesday evening when they didn't return as scheduled by 4 p.m.
The boaters, 48-year-old David Thompson, 28-year-old Adam Kelley, 15-year-old Joshua Thompson and 11-year-old Evan Thompson, were located Wednesday afternoon. A spokesperson with the Coast Guard says a plane located the boaters around 3:30 p.m. and they appeared to be healthy. The boat was found 33 miles northwest of Key West. Crews were attempting to make contact with the boaters.
Boat crews from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission assisted in the search.