RedactedNarrative: On March 28, 2021 a 19' center console vessel took on water and partially sank on a sand bar south of the Sanibel Causeway "A" span bridge near Punta Rassa. The operator and occupants on board were picked up by two good samaritans and brought back to Punta Rassa boat ramp. OP1 stated through translation that he was not sure how the water was filling up the boat and that they went to Fort Myers Beach. Once they got to the beach, OP1 noticed water coming in and turned on the bilge pumps. The bilge pumps were not working and that was when OP1 decided to head back to the boat ramp. On the way back, the vessel was taking on more water until finally the boat ran aground on the sandbar south of Punta Rassa. While it was on the sandbar, vessel wake and naturally occurring waves starting coming over the gunwale. All six POBs abandoned the vessel and was picked up by two good samartians. Passenger and OP1 both stated that everyone had personal floatation device on when they abandoned the vessel. When I asked if they knew about the sandbar, both OP1 and passenger stated that no one on board knew about the sandbar and the vessel by chance stopped in the middle thus saving the vessel and making towing and dewater efforts easier.
  	When Tow Boat US arrived at Punta Rassa, I asked the Tow Boat US operator if the vessel was still taking on water and the operator said no. I asked PASSENGER if she could tell OP1 to bring their boat trailer to the ramp so their vessel can be loaded. I inspected the bottom of the hull along with OP1 and the Tow Boat US operator. There were no visible openings or punctures. I walked around the vessel to do an overall assessment and noticed that their transom had a small barrier to keep out water. For the day’s maritime conditions, this was not sufficient. OP1 stated that a lot of water did come in from the transom and made its way into the aft portion of the vessel. The deck seal that opens up to the bilge was not properly secured and could be easily opened. OP1 stated that had less than 100 hours of boating experience and just purchased the vessel within the past couple weeks.
  