ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Kasey Adams and Chloe Heffron were left with bumps and bruises after their boat capsized in the St. Augustine Inlet on Saturday.
The couple was fishing with their dog, Jade, on Feb. 15 when they encountered rough waters. Despite their efforts to turn back, it was too late.
“We got completely turned. All of a sudden, we started feeling a wave coming from the backside, and shoved us,” Adams said. “And then the current going out, pulled our bow to the right and just rolled us instantly. It happened so quickly we couldn’t grab life preservers or anything.”
Heffron said they had to think quickly in the moments after the boat capsized.
“I mean, it happened in a blink of an eye. So like the first thing I thought was how to get out from underneath the boat,” she said.
The couple also focused on keeping Jade safe as the chaos happened.
“She got knocked by a couple good waves a couple times, and Kasey had to keep going to get her, and she just fought the entire time,” Heffron said. “And she’s definitely a very, very loyal dog, and definitely trusts us a lot to get her out of that position.”
Adams realized he still had his cell phone and handed it to Heffron to call 911, but her wet hands made dialing difficult. Another wave hit, forcing them to start over.
“She held onto the phone. I got her back on the boat, and then I went and got Jade again, because every time we got thrown off the boat, we were scattered,” Adams recounted. “She was working on calling 911, and your adrenaline’s running. You really don’t pay attention to what you’re doing. You’re just getting things done to survive.”
Their persistence paid off when the Marine Unit from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office rescued them around 3 p.m.
“They came over pretty quickly and grabbed me first, and he kind of pushed me onto the boat as well. They were able to pull Jade up, and then Kasey,” Heffron said.
The sheriff’s office noted that strong winds and large swells contributed to the rough conditions that day.
Although no one was injured, Adams and Heffron experienced soreness in the days following the incident.
“Luckily, no one was seriously hurt, and we’ve been tired and been sleeping. Jade for sure has been sleeping,” Heffron said.
“We’re both alive, and that’s all that matters,” Adams added.
The boat drifted to Daytona, where Sea Tow recovered it on Thursday afternoon.
Despite the ordeal, the couple remains undeterred from boating.
“I was shopping last night,” Adams said, referring to finding a new boat.
“There’s risks everywhere, so it’s just another risk that you’re going to take,” Heffron added.