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Tampa High School Grads' Boat Sinks Off Cancun

Photo from Brittney Smith

Brittney Smith submitted this photo of passengers donning life vests and preparing to evacuate a sinking catamaran off the coast of Cancun, Mexico.

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By NEIL JOHNSON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 11, 2008

TAMPA - The first inkling of trouble came when Brian David heard people yelling that the boat was sinking.

A catamaran with more than 100 high school students from across the country was going down stern first off Mexico on Saturday.

David, 17, had graduated from Wharton High School eight days earlier and was on a package trip to Cancun along with 13 other Wharton students and seven from Freedom High School.

The ship was supposed to take some of the students on a snorkeling trip a couple of miles from shore when the stern started taking on water.

"We had just anchored, and a couple kids were in the water," he said. "Then everybody started yelling and running to the front of the boat. It wasn't sinking fast."

At first, he said, he didn't feel in much danger.

"I was calm until I heard the captain and crew had left the ship," David said. "The captain was the first off the ship."

He threw a life raft into the water and helped herd the Hillsborough County students aboard.

"One of my friends was saying we could swim to shore but I knew it was too far. I was trying to get everyone on the raft," he said.

No one from his group was hurt in the sinking but an 18-year-old girl from Dallas was declared brain dead after suffering heart and lung failure, The Associated Press reported.

The police chief for the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, said the boat was carrying about 126 people but was only certified for 80.

However, the boat's captain said the vessel had a capacity of 250 people.

David said they were in the life raft for about 10 minutes before the group was rescued.

He was on a weeklong trip organized by a company called GradCity.

The $900 tab covered airfare, rooms and all meals. In addition to Florida students, there were students from Texas, Louisiana and California.

The company had medical personnel meet the students when they returned to the beach. The company also retrieved belongings of the students from the boat, which did not completely sink.

The bow remained above water when David passed it several days later, he said.

"They made sure everything was right. It wasn't their boat and wasn't their crew," he said.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7731 or njohnson@tampatrib.com.

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