A 65-year-old man died Tuesday after he was found in the water near a capsized canoe at Jacksonville's Harborview Boat Ramp, according to a Jacksonville Sheriff's Office incident report. A witness tried to help him before he went underwater, and it took a dive team to recover his body from the depths of the water.
According to News4JAX, a witness told officers that someone in a passing car alerted him to a person in distress near the boat ramp on October 20. The witness tried to help, but the man went underwater before he could be pulled to safety.
The man was later recovered from the water.
FWC Takes Over the Investigation
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has since taken over the investigation into the capsizing, the outlet's report notes.
A String of Recent Water Incidents Around Jacksonville
Tuesday's death adds to a run of boating trouble on local waterways in recent weeks. Days earlier, an off-duty JFRD firefighter swam out to rescue three young boaters after their boat capsized near Big Talbot Island, the same outlet reported. In late September, a body was pulled from the water at Mayport Boat Ramp as JSO investigated, and last spring a boat capsize on the St. Johns River left one person dead and three others, including children, missing, according to the Florida Times-Union.
Boating Deaths Have Been Climbing Statewide
The tragedy also fits into a broader pattern across Florida. The state recorded 685 reportable boating accidents in 2024, 26 more than the year before, and 81 fatalities, a jump of 22 from 2023, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Collision with a fixed object was the leading accident type that year, making up 31 percent of incidents, and 65 percent of operators involved in fatal crashes had no formal boating training.
A separate report from WFTV described nearly 700 boating accidents and 51 fatalities statewide, with drowning cited as the primary cause of death in those incidents. That outlet also noted Florida waters see more than 1 million registered boats and up to 1 million unregistered ones. The commission publishes annual boating statistics.
