A surfer riding waves off Palm Beach Shores on Saturday watched a second breaking wave roll a 22-foot boat onto its side, ejecting the two people aboard into rough water — and within moments he was swimming toward the wreck to pull them out. Two local fishermen soon joined in, hauling the man and woman onto their own boat, while another surfer retrieved a dog. Both people were taken to the hospital and are reported to be okay.
The surfer, identified as AJ Castronovo, told WPBF he was out riding waves when he saw the wave hit the vessel and flip it. He swam toward the capsized boat and then dove underneath the hull, where he found the two people trapped in distress. According to the outlet's report, Castronovo said the pair appeared to be breathing in water and were not doing well, so he pulled them onto his surfboard and began swimming them to safety.
Fishermen Arrive to Finish the Rescue
As Castronovo worked to free the two victims, fisherman Chad Smith and his son arrived on their own boat to help. The father and son hoisted the man and woman aboard their vessel, completing a rescue that unfolded in the churning water just off the Singer Island shoreline. Another surfer retrieved the dog, calling out, “I got the dog,” according to the same account.
Riviera Beach Fire Rescue and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office both responded to the scene, per the report. Riviera Beach Fire Rescue confirmed that two people and a dog had been aboard the capsized vessel. Castronovo later said he hoped the people he helped rescue were safe and would be able to get a new boat.
A Notorious Stretch of Water
Palm Beach Shores sits at the southern tip of Singer Island, right where the Palm Beach Inlet channel meets the open ocean — a spot where tidal currents flowing out of the Lake Worth Lagoon collide with incoming ocean swells to produce sudden, sharp breaking waves, according to coastal property descriptions published by Water Pointe Realty Group. That same inlet also serves as the primary deepwater access point for vessel traffic heading into the Port of Palm Beach, adding to the congestion small boats can encounter near shore.
Saturday's capsizing is not an isolated hazard for the area. Hoodline previously reported on a near-sinking rescue near Lake Worth Inlet involving a boat of the same 22-foot size, and more recently covered a catamaran flip in West Palm Beach waters that left a family with a long recovery.
Florida's Rough Year on the Water
The incident lands amid a statewide surge in boating accidents. Florida recorded 694 reportable boating accidents in 2025, resulting in 51 fatalities and 439 injuries across state waterways, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission data reported by CBS News. Palm Beach County tied for fourth statewide with 41 reportable boating accidents that same year, per the state's 2025 report cited by Florida Sportsman.
Drowning was the primary cause of death in more than half of Florida's boating fatalities last year, with most fatal incidents involving vessels measuring 21 feet or shorter — putting Saturday's 22-foot boat close to that danger zone, per the FWC data cited by CBS News.
Florida has nearly 1.03 million registered vessels and up to one million non-registered vessels, according to CBS News.
Reporting Requirements and Recent Law Changes
Under Florida Statute § 327.30, operators involved in an accident causing injury, death, or significant property damage are legally required to render aid and notify law enforcement or the FWC, according to legal analysis published by Treasure Coast Legal. Separately, Florida's Lucy's Law, which took effect in mid-2025, increased criminal penalties for reckless boating and created felony charges for operators who leave the scene of an accident involving injury or death, as reported by CBS News.
It remains unknown whether the two people pulled from the water Saturday were wearing life jackets, or whether any official investigation into the capsizing is underway. What is clear is that a surfer's quick swim toward a rolling boat, backed up by two fishermen on the scene, turned a dangerous wave off Palm Beach Shores into a rescue instead of a tragedy.
