On Sept. 22, a normal fishing trip on the Alabama Gulf Coast quickly turned into an emergency as the fishermen's boat rapidly filled with water and capsized before they were rescued by a charter boat over two hours later.

John Aufdenkampl, one of the fishermen, said just as they were beginning to fish, he noticed the boat taking in water. As he tried to drain some of the water out, he noticed the boat steadily lifting. He told the other fisherman, Richard Hill, “This boat’s going down; grab a life jacket.”

He said it took about 30 seconds for the boat to capsize. They waited over two hours on the overturned boat. They were stranded about 25 miles offshore.

“I never thought about my boat capsizing,” Aufdenkampl said. “I did think about it catching fire, how I’d respond to that, you know. It just flipped over so quickly. I wasn’t prepared for that.”

A situation like this has not happened to him before. But he said he remained on-task throughout the situation.

“I was anxious, but I wasn’t fearful,” he said.

They saw one boat pass by, but it never saw them. Aufdenkampl said he continued to wave his arms when another boat came into view; this one was headed right for them.

Captain Bryan Watts of the Water Dog charter boat based at Zeke’s Landing Marina, was leading an eight-hour charter with a family from Missouri. Two individuals felt seasick at one point and Watts stopped “several miles short” of where he’d normally take a group.

After he confirmed everyone felt okay with moving a few more miles out, he decided to go in a direction he wouldn’t typically take but would be easiest on a queasy stomach.

Soon, his deckhand, Fisher Paisley, noticed a capsized boat. When they were about half a mile from it, they noticed Aufdenkampl and Hill.

Watts said he has helped out in situations where a boat is taking on water, but never fully capsized. This one was different, he felt there was a “divine intervention.

“I’ve been out there before with the same type of situation but this one’s different because it was just like God drove us in that direction,” Watts said. “There were so many things that fell into place.”

In the Alabama Gulf Coast area, Watts said an incident like this occurs about once a month or once every other month.

He said in some emergency situations, a boater has time to call the coast guard to let them know their coordinates and radio or call other people to see if anybody is boating nearby, but in some cases, like this one, “it happens in a matter of seconds.”

Both Aufdenkampl and Watts recommended an emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) for all boats. This device sends out an automatic signal of your location in an emergency.

Watts also suggested always boating with someone else and constantly keeping an eye on the weather, though he’s noticed more situations where calm weather suddenly causes an emergency.

“Don’t take anything for granted because Mother Nature can take a turn really quick,” he said. “I’ve seen that several times.”

He also suggested a practice of Aufdenkampl’s where you share your coordinates and expected time of return with a spouse or loved one.

Aufdenkampl regularly fishes in the area and lets his wife know his plans so she can contact proper authorities at a particular time and give them a location to look in case of an emergency.

On this day, he only told his wife when they were planning to return and did not share his coordinates.

“Our problem was, nobody knew where we were,” he said. “… For almost everybody, your perspective is ‘that won’t happen to me’ and then it does.”

Lindsey Floyd, marketing and event manager of Zeke’s Landing Marina, said this type of rescue is not uncommon among the charter captains.

“Zeke’s captains are experienced mariners who are willing and able to assist distressed boaters when needed,” she said. “Captains and crew at Zeke’s hold licenses and follow maritime law, which includes responding to vessels in distress.”

She said this rescue highlights the “skill and heart of its captains and crews,” who encourage safety while on the water and provide memorable fishing trips to passengers.