CRESTVIEW, Fla. (WKRG) — Fisherman Daniel Hunter was stuck in a bind when his boat started to sink in Shoal River Tuesday, March 28.
Hunter said he was filling up his tank after the boat ran out of gas during a fishing trip and struck a tree in the river.
The boat started to sink and flipped over, taking Hunter’s phone down in the current. Hunter said at that time he was able to text a family member that the boat sank, then his watch died.
Hunter began a four-hour swim and hike across the river swamp lands before he made it back to his truck at the Shoal River Wayside Park (Bill Duggan Jr. Park).
Hunter said Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission had rescue crews searching the river for the missing boater and had recovered his boat when he arrived to the scene.
Hunter said he was thankful for the rescue crews who found the boat along with his frog gig and fishing pole still inside.