RedactedNarrative: Vessel was traveling south across Largo Sound into South Sound Creek, John Pennekamp State Park. Vessel operator became distracted and veered outside the channel markers leading into the creek. Vessel Operator 1 collided directly head-on into mangroves.   
  
  I asked to tell me what happened, and he explained that it was a very dark night and he could not see well. He also said that he looked behind him while on plane just before the crash and saw a vessel following closely behind him. He said that this startled him, and he pulled the steering wheel to put distance between himself and the following vessel. Operator 1 explained that when he looked forward again, it was too late to correct, and he crashed into the mangroves. Operator 1 estimated his speed at the time of the collision to be between 25 and 30MPH.