With the lake level down some 30 feet from it's high two years ago, there is an increase in vessel grounding by unsuspecting operators.

Yesterday we spent nearly 3 hours assisting a grounded vessel along with the National Park Service. We were able to get the 5 passengers off the grounded vessel safely but they were grounded so hard that their vessel could not be pulled off the sand bar that they hit.

They were heading for the Grand Canyon at the east end of Lake Mead when the mishap occured. The operator said that it had been a couple of years since he had been in this area of the lake, that was when the lake was 30 feet deeper than it is now. He continued on at speeds of 30-40 mph and come to a sudden halt on a sand bar. It was so shallow that when the occupants of the grounded vessel got out and stood in the water, it was not even up to their knees, the entire outdrive was completely out of the water.

I had one of the five passengers of the grounded vessel on mine, he was the one that left the grounded vessel and swam for help, at least he was smart enough to wear a PFD and he had a whistle with him. We picked him up and called the NPS on our radio and they dispatched a patrol vessel to rescue the other four. After the other four where safely aboard the NPS patrol vessel he came over to ours and we transferred the fifth passenger to the NPS vessel and they headed for the closest marina.

We went on to our selected cove for the night and had a great evening of cooking out, campfire, full moon, vino & brewskis in a very nice, quiet and tame cove.

This morning after we woke up and while I was cooking breakfast we saw a salvage boat heading in the direction of the grounded vessel. I'm sure glad it wasn't me that did someting like that, I can just imagine the bill he is going to get hit with for this little mistake.

If you are heading out to Lake Mead, either with your own boat or with someone else in their boat, be very careful. The lower lake level is catching a lot of boaters by surpirse if they are not careful, just like this group.

[ 03 September 2001: Message edited by: Las Vegan Cajun ]