Two missing after Spring Break boat trip near Florida's Gulf Coast
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The men were not wearing flotation devices, investigators said. (Fox 13)
The search continues for two boaters on Spring Break who disappeared in the rough waters of Florida's Pass-A-Grille Channel Wednesday morning.
According to a Wednesday morning update from Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, the initial call came at about 6 p.m. Tuesday. Deputies say 15 students from Colorado State University chartered the 71-foot yacht, called the "Jaguar," from Maximo Marina. But rough waters and high winds caused the trip to take a turn -- resulting in one of the students and a boat crew member to become lost at sea.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Five male students had gone swimming off the side of the vessel while it was anchored Tuesday afternoon. But deputies say the wind, waves, and current were too much, forcing the students to swim back to the boat.
However, one of the young men wasn't able to make it back on his own. Jie Lou, a 21-year-old from China, is still missing.
PCSO says that as the charter captain assisted the other four swimmers, 27-year-old charter mate Andrew Dillman jumped in the water to assist Lou.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Deputies believe the two men were then caught in the fast-moving current. They were not wearing personal flotation devices.