THREE SUBJECTS HAD SPENT THE NIGHT AROUND ORIENTAL AFTER THE CROAKER FESTIVAL.  ALL THREE HAD MET AND STAYED UP ALL NIGHT ON THE EDGE OF THE NEUSE RIVER WHILE FRIENDS AND FAMILY SLEPT IN A TENT.  NEAR DAYBREAK BUT NOT YET SUNRISE, VICTIM WANTED TO RIDE THE PWC.  THE KEYS AND SAFETY LANYARD WERE IN THE CONSOLE OF THE PWC.  THE PWC WAS TIED TO A POLE ABOUT 20 FEET FROM THE SHORE.  THE OPERATOR PUT ON A PFD AS DID PASSENGERS.  THE SECOND PASSENGER, VICTIM WAS HANDED A PFD BY OPERATOR, TO WHICH VICTIM REPLIED HE DIDN'T NEED ONE BECCAUSE HE COULD SWIM.  OCCUPANT2 ALSO TRIED TO GET VICTIM TO WEAR THE PFD AND AGAIN HE REFUSED.  THE THREE WADED OUT TO THE POST TO GET ON THE PWC WITH OPERATOR OPERATING, VICTIM SITTING IN THE MIDDLE AND OCCUPANT2 SITTING ON THE REAR.  OPERATOR INCREASED THE SPEED FROM IDLE TO ABOUT 20 MPH AND MOVED IN A SOUTHWESTERLY DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE BULKHEAD AREA.  THEY RODE AROUND THE NEUSE RIVER IN FRONT OF ORIENTAL FOR A FEW MINUTES.  THE RIVER HAD A CHOP LESS THAN 1 FOOT FROM A SOUTHWESTERLY BREEZE OF LESS THAN 10 MPH. THE PWC HAD TRAVELLED A SHORT DISTANCE WITH OPERATOR VARYING THE THROTTLE SPEED TO WHAT HE GUAGED TO BE BETWEEN 20-30 MPH.  OPERATOR TURNED THE PWC SHARPLY TO THE LEFT AND ALL THREE PASSENGERS WERE THROWN OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PWC.  OCCUPANT2 REMARKED THAT ALL THREE PASSENGERS WERE IN THE AIR AT THE SAME TIME.  THE PWC CONTINUED FORWARD FROM IT'S MOMENTUM 10-15 FEET AWAY FROM THE PEOPLE IN THE WATER.  OCCUPANT2 STATED AT FIRST THAT HE COULD TOUCH BOTTOM WITH THE WATER BEING RIGHT AT HIS CHIN LEVEL.  WITHIN SECONDS HOWEVER, VICTIM COULD NO LONGER TOUCH BOTTOM AND BEGAN PULLING STRONGLY ON OCCUPANT2'S PFD.  CONFUSED AT FIRST, OCCUPANT2 DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS HAPPENING AS VICTIM KEPT TUGGING AT AND TRYING TO PULL HIMSELF UP ON TOP OF OCCUPANT2.  VICTIM WAS UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE WHAT WAS HAPPENING BUT OCCUPANT2 QUICKLY REALIZED THAT VICTIM WAS DROWNING AND WAS DOING WHAT HE COULD TO KEEP HIMSELF AND VICTIM ABOVE THE WATER.  BOTH WERE STRUGGLING STRONGLY AND OCCUPANT2 TRIED TO GET VICTIM TO SETTLE DOWN.  DURING THIS TIME, OPERATOR SWAM TOWARDS THE PWC TO REBOARD AND BRING IT BACK TO THE STRUGGLING DUO.  OCCUPANT2 WAS STILL STRUGGLING WITH VICTIM BUT VICTIM WAS TIRING.  WHEN OPERATOR RETURNED WITH THE PWC, OCCUPANT2 HAD LOST CONTACT WITH VICTIM.  OPERATOR ASKED OCCUPANT2 WHERE VICTIM WAS AND OCCUPANT2 SAID HE DIDN'T KNOW, THAT HE WAS RIGHT THERE A SECOND AGO.  OPERATOR REMOVED HIS PFD AND JUMPED INTO THE WATER, DIVING UNDER THE SURFACE SEVERAL TIMES IN SEARCH FOR VICTIM.  AFTER A BRIEF ATTEMPT AT SURFACE DIVING SEARCH ATTEMPTS, OCCUPANT2 AND OPERATOR REBOARDED THE PWC AND SPED TO SHORE, TURNING THE CRAFT OVER JUST BEFORE THE SHORELINE.  OCCUPANT2 AND OPERATOR APPROACHED A PARKED CAR THAT HAD two people IN IT.  OCCUPANT2 OPENED THE DOOR BUT WAS UNABLE TO TELL person WHAT HAD HAPPENED BUT OPERATOR WAS ABLE TO TELL person THAT "HE'S DEAD, HE'S DEAD!" person WAS ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT VICTIM WAS MISSING AND FOUND VICTIM'S CELL PHONE AND PLACED A CALL TO 911 TO PAMLICO SO DISPATCH AT 6:05AM  SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES WERE SENT AND ARRIVED ON SCENE AT 6:20AM, OTHER RESCUE ASSETS WERE ALSO PAGED FOR IN THE FOLLOWING FEW MINUTES.  CONFUSION ABOUT THE TYPE OF CALL STARTED AS A DROWNING WITHOUT HAVING ANY PWC INVOLVED.  A SEARCH AREA HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED JUST EAST OF THE ENTRANCE TO ORIENTAL HARBOR.  USCG WAS ON SCENE ALONG WITH A COUPLE OF RESCUE BOATS, A SIDE VIEWING SONAR TEAM, A DIVE TEAM, AND A SHERIFF DEPUTY IN HIS PERSONAL BOAT ASSISTING IN THE SEARCH.  RECREATIONAL BOATS WERE TRANSITING THE AREA N
ORIENTAL                      