5 people and dog rescued after boat ran aground near Fripp Island

BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WSAV) – The Coast Guard and Beaufort County Marine Rescue assisted five people and a dog after a boat was grounded near Fripp Island Sunday.

The Coast Guard center received a report around 2 p.m. from a person on the 23-foot boot stating that they had been grounded with five people and a dog. The Beaufort County Marine Rescue responded with an airboat crew, but they experienced an issue with their engine once they arrived.

A Coast Guard Air Station Savannah helicopter was deployed and assisted in recovering the five people, the dog and the two airboat crew members. All those assisted were transported to Beaufort Executive Airport and had no medical concerns, according to the Coast Guard.

“Due to the high number of people, this turned out to be a fairly complex evolution that required multiple trips to the vessel in distress,” said Lt. Cmdr. Carl Luxhoj, Coast Guard Air Station Savannah aircraft commander. “Our crew did a great job of managing aircraft weight and power margin to conduct the hoists. Due to the impressive range of tides in the Lowcountry region, we recommend all mariners check tides and currents before going out on the water.”

Beaufort County Marine Rescue was able to recover their airboat and the grounded boat.