Wild Ride

[Bobcat]

www.keysnews.com

Wild ride for waterspout chasers
Waterspouts pull boaters into thrill of a lifetime
BY TIMOTHY O'HARA Citizen Staff
tohara@keysnews.com

What started as a snorkle trip to test lobster and spearfishing gear quickly turned into a thrill ride for a group of Florida Keys divers.

Keys residents Aaron Osters and Kevin Johnson set out on the water last week with the goal of testing an all-in-one lobster tickle stick/lionfish pole spear.

While the two men were busy getting their bag limit of lobster in the Gulf of Mexico offshore of the Seven Mile Bridge, they noticed a series of waterspouts forming, said Osters, who is the owner of Bandito Spearguns and Florida Keys Kiteboarding.

Seven complete waterspouts had formed, and Osters and Johnson quickly chased after them. They steered their small 17-foot skiff directly into one of the waterspouts, which was 30 feet wide and had a vortex that was 15 feet wide, Osters said.

"We didn't go through the vortex, but through the outskirts of it," Osters said. "You could feel the boat being pulled into the vortex. It had some suction .... It opened the back hatches of the boat and our ears started to pop. It was an experience."

The two men captured their adventures with both photos and video, which have since gone viral on the Internet and picked up by Florida news televisions stations.

"This has just blown up," Osters said. "It's amazing."

tohara@keysnews.com

[rschap1]

WTF??
Drove into it with a 17 footer

can't believe they didn't get picked up and tossed...

F'ing CRAZY

[Bobcat]

Storm brewing for Keys divers
Coast Guard looks into 'spout chasers
BY ADAM LINHARDT Citizen Staff
alinhardt@keysnews.com
The Coast Guard is investigating two Florida Keys divers who made a splash on the Internet and TV news stations last week after they posted a video of themselves entering a waterspout.

Investigative service agents are looking into whether Aaron Osters and Kevin Johnson are licensed Coast Guard boat captains, and if they are, whether they should be civilly reprimanded, said Coast Guard Sector Key West Deputy Cmdr. John Reed.

Osters is the owner of Bandito Spearguns and Florida Keys Kiteboarding.

There were no other people on the boat.

The men were snorkeling for lobster in the Gulf of Mexico offshore of the Seven Mile Bridge when they steered their small 17-foot skiff directly into one of seven waterspouts. The waterspout was 30 feet wide and had a vortex that was 15 feet wide. They captured the event with both photos and a video.

If either man is a licensed captain, such behavior may warrant sanctions, but the Coast Guard probably would not attempt to strip either man of a captain's license. Instead, the license holder would probably receive a warning in the form of a letter, Reed said.

Reed said attempts to reach Osters and Johnson by phone Wednesday were not successful.

"It's not a criminal offense, but there are a list of things you have to follow if you have a mariner's license, regardless of whether you have paying customers on board," he said.

The Coast Guard used the incident to remind mariners of the dangers waterspouts can pose.

"Waterspouts should be avoided by both professional and recreational boaters," said Lt. Cmdr. Michael Capelli. "A waterspout is a small tornado and poses the same dangers as a tornado on land. It can toss people overboard. It can lift debris off the deck and potentially hit you and knock you out. And, God forbid, you get thrown overboard, the boat overturns and you lose your radio. Then no one knows you were even there, and that could delay a Coast Guard response."

alinhardt@keysnews.com

[old377guy]

In an offbeat way, I think it sounds kind of cool; dangerous, silly, unprofessional - sure, but still kinda cool.

[Ratickle]

Kinda cool but stupid!

[Bobcat]

Here they are

[T2x]

BY ADAM LINHARDT Citizen Staff
alinhardt@keysnews.com
"Then no one knows you were even there, and that could delay a Coast Guard response."

alinhardt@keysnews.com

Huh?

[OneBadInjun]

Here they are

Dumb asses. Anyone that spends time on the water in south florida, knows how common these are, every year. There is always multiples like this too. My only concern would have been, if anything happened to that poor dog. Not them. Dumb asses.

[fund razor]

Does anyone here know them personally? I mean, well enough to call them "friend?"

[Ratickle]

Dumb asses. .......My only concern would have been, if anything happened to that poor dog. Not them. Dumb asses.

[fund razor]

We used to call it "natural selection."

[Ratickle]

We used to call it "natural selection."

Oh, another "like" opportunity gone blowin in the waterspout!!

[T2x]

Dumb asses. Anyone that spends time on the water in south florida, knows how common these are, every year. There is always multiples like this too. My only concern would have been, if anything happened to that poor dog. Not them. Dumb asses.

No doubt.....

[Ratickle]

We were supposed to have water spouts up here the last few days, but I haven't seen or heard of any.