QUICK RESPONSE SAVES FOUR BOATERS AND DOG; CAPSIZED VESSEL REMAINS ACTIVE INLET HAZARD

May 18, 2026 BC News Staff Brunswick County, News, Outdoor 1

Multi-agency response saves four boaters and a dog within 15 minutes; capsized vessel remains grounded on regional sandbar

By BC News Staff Writer

OAK ISLAND, NC — A fast-moving, multi-agency operation successfully rescued four people and a dog on Monday afternoon after their boat capsized near the Lockwood Folly Inlet.

Emergency crews were dispatched at 2:06 p.m. on May 18, 2026, to The Point at the far west end of West Beach Drive following reports of an overturned vessel and multiple people in the water.

Upon arrival, responders found two individuals still stranded in the water. The remaining two boaters and their dog had been pulled from the water by a passing civilian vessel.

The Oak Island Ocean Rescue Division utilized a rescue watercraft and the Town’s new Mobile Drone Control Unit to pinpoint and recover the two remaining boaters. Concurrently, Oak Island Water Rescue crews met with the civilian boat to safely retrieve the first two passengers and the dog.

The entire operation was completed within 15 minutes of the initial dispatch. All four boaters were transferred to Brunswick County EMS on shore for evaluation and treatment of minor, non-life-threatening injuries.

For Boaters: The vessel, a 19-foot Carolina Skiff remains lodged on a sandbar inside the Lockwood Folly Inlet. It is considered an active navigational hazard and must be avoided with caution until professionally retrieved.

Capsized 19-foot Carolina Skiff (OKI Credit)

For Beachgoers: Tides may dislodge the vessel and wash it ashore. Beachgoers are asked not to mess with the boat if it does come to shore.

The Oak Island Fire Department and municipal officials credited the swift outcome to the unified efforts of responding mutual aid partners, including Oak Island Water Rescue, U.S. Coast Guard Station Oak Island, Tri-Beach Volunteer Fire Department, Brunswick County EMS, and the Oak Island Police Department.

Public safety officials remind all mariners that U.S.C.G. approved life jackets should be readily accessible for everyone on board and ideally worn at all times when traversing unpredictable regional inlets.