OCEAN CITY, Md. - A pontoon boat carrying five people flipped over Tuesday after hitting rocks in the Ocean City Inlet. According to the Ocean City Fire Department, all five passengers were accounted for and rescued safely. The U.S. Coast Guard later towed the overturned vessel to the West Ocean City Harbor.
Longtime boater Dan Donatelli witnessed the aftermath and said unfamiliarity with the inlet’s underwater landscape can be dangerous. “There’s a lot of them that are submerged and people don’t realize it,” Donatelli said of the rocks. “They’re not very far down, and they just hit them and cause damage to them, to the boats.”
less than 24 hours later, another boat became stuck nearby due to rising sand—another growing concern for boaters trying to navigate the waters.
less than 24 hours later, another boat became stuck nearby due to rising sand.
Local resident Larry Lamon watched that incident unfold and said the build-up of sand makes navigating the inlet tricky. “As you saw today, typical example,” Lamon said. “You just go one way or the other and unfortunately got stuck.”
With the White Marlin Open just weeks away, emergency dredging near the inlet is scheduled to begin next week. The high-profile fishing tournament draws hundreds of boats and thousands of visitors to the resort town. “Very important,” Lamon said of the upcoming dredging. “Got a lot of boats coming in. It draws a lot of people.”
Still, some boaters say more needs to be done to prevent future accidents—especially around submerged rocks. “It would be nice if the Coast Guard would put a light on there or something,” Donatelli said.
Channel markers are in place to help boaters navigate the inlet, but locals say they hope to see additional safety measures as peak boating season continues.