INITIAL NOTICE
On Tuesday, August 25, 2009, at approximately 1100 hours, I was informed from a seasonal employee at the entrance station to contact Rockport's camp host in Juniper campground (Juniper) regarding a boat accident that occurred the previous evening.


CONTACT WITH CAMPGROUND HOST & BOAT OWNER/OPERATOR
At approximately 1145 hours I arrived at Juniper and spoke with the campground host P1.  P1 informed me that the visitors in Juniper site #19/20 had a boating accident and wanted to talk to a Ranger.

I spokP2 (boat owner) regarding the accident.  According to P2, at approximately 1945 hours on Monday, August 24, 2009, he and his family were out on their boat on Rockport Reservoir.  They were returning back to Juniper's beach area.  P2 was operating the boat approximately forty (40) feet from Rockport Reservoir's east shore and was traveling in a southerly direction "...not going very fast".  While he was operating the boat, P2 was also monitoring his electronic depth finder.  When he reached an area of the lake directly across from Cedar Point campground site #4, he noticed his depth finder go from fifty (50) feet to eighteen (18) feet to two (2) feet to zero (0) feet in a matter of seconds.  P2 was not able to react quick enough and grounded his boat on rocks completely submerged in the water.  P2 attempted to dislodge his boat but was unable to do so.

When the boat grounded, the noise created from the grounding was loud enough for P3 to hear it from Juniper campsite #22 (approximately 300 yards away).  P3 observed that P2 needed assistance with his boat.  P3 went into his boat and was able to eventually pull P2's boat off the submerged rocks.


DAMAGE TO BOAT
See section "Vessel Damage" under section "Vessel" of this report.


INJURY TO BOATING PARTY
No injury occurred to anyone as a result of the grounding.


ACCIDENT P2, P3, and I walked down to the beach area where they both showed me the area where the grounding occurred.  The lake at that time was very calm.  The beach area and  the area in the water where the grounding occurred does indeed have large rocks underneath the water not visible and very close to the surface.  The rocks are difficult to see while in a motorboat. P2 estimated his boat received approximately $2,500.00 damage.  P2 and his wife inquired if there was anything we could do to warn boaters of the water hazard.  I informed P2 that Rockport Reservoir has many areas around the lake with similar hazards when the reservoir's water reaches certain levels, that most of the time the water level is either too high or too low for many of the more serous water hazards to exist, and that most lake waters naturally have hazardous areas.  The area where the grounding occurred is a natural hazard.
Peoa                          