A husband and wife found themselves stuck fighting a strong current on the Alafia River in Hillsborough County on Sunday, unable to paddle their canoe any further upstream. The couple called for help, and Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office marine unit deputies responded, pulled both paddlers aboard, and towed their canoe to shore.
According to the Tampa Free Press, the couple phoned authorities after realizing they could not overcome the current on their own. Deputies located them along the riverbank, and once the pair had secured their canoe to the shoreline, deputies took both paddlers aboard before towing the canoe to the boat ramp at Lithia Springs Park. Neither boater was injured in the ordeal, the outlet reported.
Sheriff’s Office Calls It a Quick Team Effort
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office described the incident simply, saying a day on the river took an unexpected turn but #TeamHCSO was there to help. The agency added that the rescue ended safely because of quick thinking and a helping hand, according to the same report.
A Popular but Unpredictable Paddling Stretch
The stretch of river near where the canoe was towed sits just downstream of the springs that give Lithia Springs Park its name, according to the Florida Springs Odyssey blog, which describes paddling near Lithia and Buckhorn springs as feeling especially natural. The Alafia River itself eventually flows into Hillsborough Bay, the blog notes.
No measured river stage, flow rate, or weather conditions for Sunday were available to explain just how strong the current was that day. The National Weather Service’s river forecast page for the Alafia River gauge at Lithia Pinecrest Road, maintained by NOAA, notes that forecasts for the location factor in both past precipitation and rainfall expected roughly 48 hours out, though no specific reading tied to this incident was provided.
The river has a history of swinging between calm and dangerous. A report on Hurricane Irma from Bay News 9 noted that some neighborhoods saw severe flooding after the Alafia reached near-record levels, and a much older account from the Tampa Bay Times described storm runoff plaguing Hillsborough County residents along the Alafia and Little Manatee rivers back in 1997. Nothing in the available reporting ties either of those events to Sunday’s rescue.
Portions of nearby Alafia River State Park remain closed for repair, though the Stardust bike trail and other trail areas are open, according to Florida State Parks. Law enforcement has patrolled these waters before; a 2015 weekly report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission noted officers patrolling the Alafia River in an unmarked vessel, though that incident is unrelated to Sunday’s rescue.
For now, the takeaway from Sunday’s close call is straightforward: a husband and wife got in over their heads against the current, and a marine unit crew got them out safely.
