Two found clinging to buoy when boat hits cruise ship wake and sinks, Florida cops say

A cruise ship caused a smaller boat to sink, leaving two people and a dog stranded on a buoy in the middle of a bay, Florida rescuers said.

The pair hit a wake created by a cruise ship near Gadsden Point in the Tampa Bay on Jan. 4, making their boat crash, according to a Jan. 6 news release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

The two boaters were injured and their vessel sank, but they swam to a buoy with their dog and waited for help, deputies said.

Aerial and marine units from the sheriff’s office, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard, reported finding them shortly after 6 p.m. Video shared on social media from the sheriff’s office shows one person on top of the large buoy and the other person in the water clinging to it.

The individuals confirmed they were the only ones in need of rescue, then first responders took them to a nearby hospital, deputies said.

This story was originally published January 6, 2025 at 6:32 PM with the headline "Two found clinging to buoy when boat hits cruise ship wake and sinks, Florida cops say."