Scalloping trip turns into nightmare as storms sweep Taylor County coast Sunday

TAYLOR COUNTY, Fla. (WCTV) - Maranda Fulton is counting her blessings.

The Hawthorne woman knows she skirted tragedy Sunday when a scalloping trip off Taylor County’s coast turned into a storm-fueled nightmare.

“At about 1 or 1:30 p.m. while we were scalloping, it started sprinkling,” she recalled in an interview with WCTV. “So we said, well, we’ll just head back up towards the boat ramp. And while on the way, it’s like the bottom fell out and every boat was racing to get back.”

Fulton said the combination of the choppy surf and the wake of passing boats led to the bow of the boat taking on water.

“The second wave came and boat just- it sunk immediately,” she said.

Fulton’s blind 12-year-old sister had her life jacket on already. The adults in the boat scrambled to grab theirs.

She used her water-logged phone to call 911. The call went through, but the water damage made it impossible to hear what the dispatcher was saying, she said.

Fulton said her mother started waving an orange paddle from the submerged bow, trying to flag down a passing boat.

“It was like time stood still. And the first boat came and I thought they were going to stop, but they flew past us. So then I started panicking again,” she said. “And then my mom said, keep praying, keep praying And within seconds, a second boat was coming.”

Eventually the family made it out of the Gulf and on the rescuer’s boat.

Fulton said she couldn’t stop thinking of her toddler son back home, wondering who would take care of him should they not make it.

“I was extremely grateful to have those people pass by when they did,” she said.

Fulton said her scary day on the water serves as a good reminder to wear a life jacket.

“Never get on a boat without proper life vest on because like I said, it was a very extreme situation trying to get a life vest on while being submerged.”

To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Nextdoor and X (Twitter).

Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here to get started.