RedactedNarrative: On May 1, 2022, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), were on patrol in Destin, Okaloosa County, FL when a call came out from FWC Dispatch regarding a boating accident.  
       At approximately 2:07PM I received information from dispatch about the boating accident. Dispatch advised that Okaloosa County Sheriff had been contacted about a sinking vessel. Vessel 1 (V1) had launched from Joe's bayou boat ramp with eight subjects on board and began heading out of Joe's Bayou through the channel. V1 was approximately 300 yards passed the furthest most channel marker when the operator began seeing intermittent white smoke coming from the engine compartment of the vessel. The operator decided to head back to the boat ramp. The operator pulled the engine compartment open and saw a large amount of water coming into the vessel. The operator decided everyone needed to evacuate the vessel and began signalling for help. The subjects caught the attention of a passing vessel (V2). The operator of V2 rendered aid to V1 by trying to tow the vessel back to the boat ramp.  V1 was under tow for a short period of time before it  began to capsize and all eight subjects transferred over to V2. The lines that were towing V1 were disconnected. V1 sank to the bottom of the Choctawhatchee Bay. The eight subjects were on V2 for approximately ten minutes before being transported by Okaloosa County Sheriff back to Joe's Bayou where we gathered all relevant information. 
       In the following days after the incident OP1 was in contact with Tow Boat US to salvage the vessel. I made contact with the salvage company, and they stated that they would be bringing the vessel up on May 10, 2022, around 9:00AM. The salvage company did not have a means of locating the vessel on the bottom of the bay. We located the vessel with the coordinates that OP1 provided us. He gave us the coordinates: N 30 25’ 19.3” W 86 29’ 57.8”. We canvased the area around those coordinates using the side scan equipment aboard our patrol vessel and we located the vessel in 27ft of water at the following coordinates: N 30 25’ 18.9” W 86 29’ 56.9”. 
       The salvage company began working to bring the vessel back to the surface. As the vessel came to the surface, I documented its condition by obtaining photographs. The salvage company floated the vessel just outside of Joe’s Bayou and towed it into Joe’s Bayou Boat Ramp where they began pumping water out of the hull. The salvage crew stated that there was a starboard side window towards the bow of the vessel that had blown out because of the pressure against it while the vessel was capsizing, this sped up the capsizing process. The salvage company stated that they made it to a point where the water coming in matched the water being displaced by their pumps. The water seemed to be pouring in from the engines exhaust tubes. Four exhaust tubes along the rear of the engine showed signs of heat damage and the rubber material was melted leaving holes in the tubes where a large amount of water was flooding the engine compartment. Photographs of the water spilling in where obtained. The vessel was winched onto OP1’s trailer, and he pulled it up out of the water as far as he could. The vessel at this point still had a lot of water inside it.
       Upon looking in the engine compartment when most of the water had drained from the vessel, it was confirmed that all four exhaust tubes appeared melted with holes in them where water was spilling in. Based on the damage to the vessel, each subject's statements, and my investigation I concluded that the vessel began taking on water from the stern. The engine bay filled with water spilling in from the exhaust tubing. When the water hit the running engines it caused the intermittent white smoke. 
  