FL FL - Austin Stephanos & Perry Cohen, both 14, Jupiter, 24 July 2015 - #1

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EllieBee said:
Having lived in both states, I can say that those laws are very loosely observed. I guess parents feel like if their kids are good swimmers, the lifevest is not necessary.

I taught my child to swim at 2 years of age for the simple reason that we spent so much time on open water. We always made her wear her vest, but not all of our friends made their children wear one.

I hope these boys are found safe.
Click to expand...

That is very good of you to teach her to swim and to use life vests when on water.

Swimming is an important skill to know.

I realize teenagers dont like to put them on all the time when in a boat and I have to admit that even I dont always wear one when I am fishing in my john boat on my local lakes but will have it right near me. They say its best to just always wear it because you never know when you are going to be thrown over the side.
Ive gotten much better at wearing mine most all the time when fishing the lakes.

Here is a tip that I have found and may help others.

Shop around for a very comfortable "Vest Style" life vest.

Since I am always casting a rod and reel I found that they sometimes get in my way so I shopped around until I found a really comfortable one that was slimmer than some others I had found. The cutouts around the arm made it more comfortable and I even found a color I liked.

So the tip is that it takes some shopping around and careful selection to make sure you get one that fits as comfortable as possible. People will be more apt to wear one if it is somewhat comfortable.

Maybe even take the child with you and have them help choose which one they want. That way when in the boat they will be more apt to want to wear it if they chose it themselves.

It took me a long time to find the certain 1 I found that I like. Most are terribly uncomfortable.
Even though I dont water ski, I ended up choosing more of a water ski life vest because it was so comfortable.
 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...eenagers-should-not-have-been-alone-offshore/
He said teenagers can spend years on the water and still be emotionally and mentally unprepared to deal with emergency situations. Asked whether teenagers should be allowed to go boating offshore without supervision, he said parents should consider the question very carefully.
“I would rephrase the question,”..“They should ask: Should I send a teenager who has no experience with crisis out into the largest wilderness in the world, completely surrounded on all sides by something that will kill them if they get in it?
“Then the answer becomes obvious: No.”
"The whole Florida coast is full of kids boating on the Intracoastal Waterway and if they get in trouble there’ll be six other boaters passing by in a minute,” he said. “But offshore, you’re really alone out there. There’s no safety anymore, and it’s up to you, and communication is up to you.”
 
IndianSummer said:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...eenagers-should-not-have-been-alone-offshore/
He said teenagers can spend years on the water and still be emotionally and mentally unprepared to deal with emergency situations. Asked whether teenagers should be allowed to go boating offshore without supervision, he said parents should consider the question very carefully.
“I would rephrase the question,”..“They should ask: Should I send a teenager who has no experience with crisis out into the largest wilderness in the world, completely surrounded on all sides by something that will kill them if they get in it?
“Then the answer becomes obvious: No.”
"The whole Florida coast is full of kids boating on the Intracoastal Waterway and if they get in trouble there’ll be six other boaters passing by in a minute,” he said. “But offshore, you’re really alone out there. There’s no safety anymore, and it’s up to you, and communication is up to you.”
Click to expand...

Excellent point about being experienced with dealing with emergencies and not just dealing with boating in general.

I for one will be the first to admit that I am really not very good with emergency situations. I would like to think I can function pretty well in them and I think I would follow the right steps but I can guarantee that I am not cool and collected during them.....LOL

I am more of the type that panics, screams, and yells at everyone. LOL

Even landing a big fish gets me too worked up...LOL

I will be sitting there fishing all calm, cool, and collected, and when a very large fish gets hooked, I turn into a raging monster...LOL

"Get the Net!....Get the Net!!!......GET THE NET!!!!!!!" :)
 
Apparently, the boys did not adhere to family rules. This is what teens sometimes do.

[video=cnn;us/2015/07/27/missing-fl-teens-mothers-intv-ac.cnn]http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/28/us/florida-missing-teens-boat/index.html[/video]

Nick Korniloff, Perry's stepfather, said the family had rules about where Perry could take a boat without adult supervision.

"We requested when he was out in the water, that he fish the river and Intracoastal (Waterway)," he said Monday. "He could go as far as the rocks and inlet."

Perry was told not to go into the ocean unless he was in a bigger boat and had an adult with him, Korniloff said.

"We have taught them the respect of Mother Nature, the power of the sea," he said. "They know what the water is all about."
 
Trino said:
Apparently, the boys did not adhere to family rules. This is what teens sometimes do.

[video=cnn;us/2015/07/27/missing-fl-teens-mothers-intv-ac.cnn]http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/28/us/florida-missing-teens-boat/index.html[/video]

Nick Korniloff, Perry's stepfather, said the family had rules about where Perry could take a boat without adult supervision.

"We requested when he was out in the water, that he fish the river and Intracoastal (Waterway)," he said Monday. "He could go as far as the rocks and inlet."

Perry was told not to go into the ocean unless he was in a bigger boat and had an adult with him, Korniloff said.

"We have taught them the respect of Mother Nature, the power of the sea," he said. "They know what the water is all about."
Click to expand...

For people that dont know what the "Intracoastal (Waterway)" is.....

I am familiar with the one near Cape Hatteras and not Florida but I think I can explain it.

Basically you have the main Atlantic Ocean and then you have the beaches and land, and then you have the "Intracoastal (Waterway)" which is behind the land and is usually a long stretch of water that goes behind the land. You can think of it as a "river" almost because they usually are quite long. They are not too wide although some spots can be quite wide too.

There is an "inlet" to the Intracoastal (Waterway) where the ocean feeds into it.

The main point is this Intracoastal (Waterway) is a lot less rougher than the ocean and usually has land on 2 sides of it. And like was already mentioned, there are usually lots of boaters and vacationers fairly close by.

It is generally much safer in them than the main ocean and especially if you have a smaller boat like they had. I was pretty surprised at how small their boat was.

The boys may have felt their boat was big enough but for an ocean it was really quite small of a boat.

I am really worried about these boys today. If they dont find them very soon, the hope of survival is going down by the hour now.
Im praying for them.
 
Another problem being in salt water - it dehydrates you through your skin also when you are continually marinating in it. On top of having nothing to drink, it really speeds up damage to your body.
 
Honestly feel sick to my stomach right now. Holding onto hope...watching for a presser, "atthelake." On a positive note, so grateful to all those heroes in the skies/in the water/on land actively playing a part in finding them. God speed.

There's a story on the family asking a specific way the public can help...don't know if it's been posted on here yet. Will go look for it again.

ETA: It's just the first paragraph here, for those in those regions. I'm sure it's already been posted, but: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...k-public-search-florida-georgia-shore-n399051
 
This is 100% a complete rumor ATM but on the "Find Austin & Perry" facebook group there is talk of a white rectangular object that has been found - some are speculating that it might be an ice chest.


once again 100% rumor at this moment until confirmed by other sources.
 
Also, it seems they are focusing in on the Georgia area ATM.
 
Oh that FB group is deteriorating... I had to get out of there. I was up until 5:00 this morning looking through the past couple days on the Ponce Inlet webcam. I noticed some weirdness, as did a few other people. It's all been reported to the USCG, but no definitive info yet.

Anyway, back to facts...

-According to posts on FB from the family and media, the boat actually belongs to Austin; and he has owned 4 different boats since the age of 7.

-Both Austin and Perry have their boaters card as required by law; so they could legally operate the vessel.

-Perry did not have permission to leave the intracoastal/Loxahatchee River.

-They bought $110 in gas, and a Gatorade at Jib Marina in Tequesta, which is about a 5 minute boat ride from the inlet. They didn't have $110, they were $22 short. Wanted to call mom, Marina clerk said just pay me the difference next time. It's unknown how much fuel was already onboard. Gas is $4.32/gal there, so they bought just over 25 gallons of gas.

-The captain of a larger boat (30-40ft) saw them leaving the inlet as everyone else was running inshore from the visible storm. (This came from a Palm Beach Post article, Ill try to edit with the link)

Im sure I'm forgetting things, but my brain is shot right now.
 
Hatfield said:
For people that dont know what the "Intracoastal (Waterway)" is.....

I am familiar with the one near Cape Hatteras and not Florida but I think I can explain it.

Basically you have the main Atlantic Ocean and then you have the beaches and land, and then you have the "Intracoastal (Waterway)" which is behind the land and is usually a long stretch of water that goes behind the land. You can think of it as a "river" almost because they usually are quite long. They are not too wide although some spots can be quite wide too.

There is an "inlet" to the Intracoastal (Waterway) where the ocean feeds into it.

The main point is this Intracoastal (Waterway) is a lot less rougher than the ocean and usually has land on 2 sides of it. And like was already mentioned, there are usually lots of boaters and vacationers fairly close by.

It is generally much safer in them than the main ocean and especially if you have a smaller boat like they had. I was pretty surprised at how small their boat was.

The boys may have felt their boat was big enough but for an ocean it was really quite small of a boat.

I am really worried about these boys today. If they dont find them very soon, the hope of survival is going down by the hour now.
Im praying for them.
Click to expand...


image.jpg
The red pin is the marina they got gas at, that is on the intracoastal. The Jupiter Inlet is just south of the red pin. They would have exited the marina and gone left into the inlet. Had they gone right, they would have remained in the intracoastal until they crossed under the bridge marked 811, west of there is considered the Loxahatchee River. The intracoastal continues south just below the 811 marker.


Just as a personal aside- My husband was born and raised in Jupiter; we just moved from there in January. He would not take a 19 ft boat through the inlet unless it was a flat calm day.
 
WhiskeyBent said:
View attachment 78939
The red pin is the marina they got gas at, that is on the intracoastal. The Jupiter Inlet is just south of the red pin. They would have exited the marina and gone left into the inlet. Had they gone right, they would have remained in the intracoastal until they crossed under the bridge marked 811, west of there is considered the Loxahatchee River. The intracoastal continues south just below the 811 marker.


Just as a personal aside- My husband was born and raised in Jupiter; we just moved from there in January. He would not take a 19 ft boat through the inlet unless it was a flat calm day.
Click to expand...

Great Photo.

To give people a perspective of how wide the Intracoastal waterways are......you can make out a boat and its wake if you look just below
"E Indiantown Rd"......Look below the "Rd" part in the waterway and you will see a boats wake.

Its small and white.

I am pretty sure (not positive though) that is a boat in the waterway moving.
 
Hatfield said:
Great Photo.

To give people a perspective of how wide the Intracoastal waterways are......you can make out a boat and its wake if you look just below
"E Indiantown Rd"......Look below the "Rd" part in the waterway and you will see a boats wake.

Its small and white.

I am pretty sure (not positive though) that is a boat in the waterway moving.
Click to expand...



I zoomed in on it, and yes, its a small boat. Good eye! :)

ETA actually, my mistake- it looks like 2 small boats, but not jet skis.
image.jpg
 
I hate to second guess the parents in this situation because sometimes kids don't always do what you tell them to do.

I go offshore or deep water fishing and have been through a storm (that's a long story) but one where I learned the motor had to be kept running at all costs. Being out in open water is very different from being in an inlet. The water can be as smooth as glass one moment and turn to 8+ seas quickly. If your boat capsizes during one of these storms it's very unlikely you would be able to swim to your boat much less hang on to it.

OT - Hatfield, there isn't a net big enough for the fish I catch ;)
 
I've got so much info banging around in my head right now, and and I have no source to give for this because I honestly don't remember where I saw it. Basically, I read that Austin had permission to go south from the inlet just off the beach; there's an area there where baitfish are sometimes so thick you could probably walk on them. However, Perry did *not* have permission to leave the inlet.

I still don't have a very good feeling about how this will end.
 
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