What is 'circle of death'? Two men thrown off a boat caught in BIZARRE 'high speed' phenomenon
Two men narrowly escaped a terrifying phenomenon known as the "circle of death" after being thrown off their boat, which got out of control in Massachusetts waters. The Marshfield Harbormaster’s office was alerted about the boat by the captain of a nearby fishing boat at around 10 am after he noticed the 24-foot vessel "in a circling pattern." According to the Marshfield police, the two men were pulled from the water, and later they released the footage with Nexstar. The video has since gone viral and is available across all social media platforms.
The incident occurred on July 5 as the boat was caught in a tight “high speed” circling pattern known in the boating world as the "circle of death". It occurs when the circling boat strikes ejected boaters in the water, inflicting massive, and often fatal propeller injuries. The two men did not get the time to take any precautionary measures at the time. Neither of the duo was wearing any life jackets nor were tied to the boat's kill switch.
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Captain Dana Blackman, the captain of the nearby fishing boat who informed the Marshfield Harbormaster’s office about the incident, said that he noticed one of them waving a white T-shirt from the water. The harbormaster, Michael DiMeo, took the necessary precautions when he noticed the unattended boat operating in tight circular patterns and cleared a section of the water to prevent any accident in case the vessel came out of the spin and flew off in another direction. “It was a pretty big vessel, 250 horsepower,” DiMeo told Nexstar. “We were getting different reports, that the boat was still full of fuel or half full. But it had 40 gallons of fuel left, it could have gone for four more hours.”
"CIRCLE OF DEATH": Authorities say two people were rescued after the motorboat they were on entered what is known as a "circle of death" -- and they have advice on what to do if it happens to you on the water https://t.co/kQGwzBJsGF pic.twitter.com/Qu8wq8MEW2
— KOIN News (@KOINNews) July 7, 2022
The drone footage was later released which showed a local boat-towing and recovery service arriving at the scene to help get the boat under control. The towing service called 'Sea Tow' was able to stop the vessel by floating a rope toward the propeller, snagging the engine, and slowing the boat just enough to maneuver alongside and pull out the emergency cut-off switch. “Things on the water happen quickly and with no notice. It’s immediate,” DiMeo added. “If the use of lifejackets and the kill switch were used in this situation, if the boat would’ve stopped, it would have eliminated the need to put other people in harm’s way.”
2 people rescued after being ejected from boat out at sea! https://t.co/80jXkDFEPJ pic.twitter.com/52SN6AQv3j
— Marshfield Police Department (@Marshfield_PD) July 5, 2022
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Experts suggested that an individual can avoid such dangerous accidents by not letting go of the boat’s steering mechanism during operation. “The use of the kill switch and the use of the lifejackets is really the takeaway here,” DiMeo said. “This is a stark reminder of how fast incidents can occur on the water without notice,” Marshfield Chief Phillip A Tavares wrote in a statement. “We urge the use of life jackets and tethering of the vessel safety kill switch. These incidents can happen to the most experienced mariners.”