Branson Duck Boat Disaster

[SoonerDave]

In case someone hadn't heard, at least 13 people, including children, perished when a "Ride the Ducks" boat sank amid high waves brought on by a storm on Table Rock Lake. Authorities say three people are still missing.

This is just so beyond tragic. I can't even imagine a family going on a vacation and suddenly being confronted with this awful situation. Prayers for all involved.

[BLJR]

Agree. Awful situation.

[Colbafone]

Up to 17 dead now. Incredibly unfortunate.

[SoonerDave]

Up to 17 dead now. Incredibly unfortunate.

That's over half the passengers on the boat (31 if I recall correctly).

[shawnw]

I'm a fan of these duck boat tours, and have ridden on them in at least four cities. This accident and the one in Philly years ago can definitely make one weary of them.

[BBatesokc]

Any word yet if the life vest had been handed out? If not, why? If so, why so many fatalities?

[BG918]

Any word yet if the life vest had been handed out? If not, why? If so, why so many fatalities?

Wondering the same thing. Did a lot of these people not know how to swim? It wasn't like it was in the middle of the ocean this is a relatively narrow lake and any waves generated by the storm would be fairly small.

[mkjeeves]

Video shows it was pretty rough. Comments I've read and AFAI can tell from the video, the boat had a canopy with soft sided walls and vinyl zippered windows like on a jeep. Probably everyone was in full denial the boat was going down until it did, then panic, no real emergency escape plan or method to get people out of the boat.

Story about safety issues: https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...b55cf759a.html

[jn1780]

Video shows it was pretty rough. Comments I've read and AFAI can tell from the video, the boat had a canopy with soft sided walls and vinyl zippered windows like on a jeep. Probably everyone was in full denial the boat was going down until it did, then panic, no real emergency escape plan or method to get people out of the boat.

Story about safety issues: https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...b55cf759a.html

Are those hard canopy tops? Their making an already low to the water boat, top heavy. Seeing that video, I would have already been trying to get that a window open 4 minutes before sinking.

[mkjeeves]

Are those hard canopy tops? Their making an already low to the water boat, top heavy. Seeing that video, I would have already been trying to get that a window open 4 minutes before sinking.

Horizontal rain and spray might interfere with good judgement. I can't tell what the roof is made from. It could be fiberglass or it might be canvas stretched on a frame. You can see the life jackets mounted underneath the roof in these photos.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...er=7&autoplay=

[CloudDeckMedia]

Wondering the same thing. Did a lot of these people not know how to swim? It wasn't like it was in the middle of the ocean this is a relatively narrow lake and any waves generated by the storm would be fairly small.

@shawnw - What safety briefings have you received in your four previous duck boat tours? Any life vest instructions?

[Bellaboo]

Wondering the same thing. Did a lot of these people not know how to swim? It wasn't like it was in the middle of the ocean this is a relatively narrow lake and any waves generated by the storm would be fairly small.

Several eye witness reported 6 foot waves.

[BG918]

[/B]

Several eye witness reported 6 foot waves.

I watched the video and couldn't believe how rough it was. I wonder if the topography of that area, steep hills on both sides, played a role in creating such large waves. I have been on Grand Lake a few times during severe thunderstorms and have never seen anything like on that video. Lots of boats would struggle in those waves and would take on water or capsize.

[jerrywall]

I watched the video and couldn't believe how rough it was. I wonder if the topography of that area, steep hills on both sides, played a role in creating such large waves. I have been on Grand Lake a few times during severe thunderstorms and have never seen anything like on that video. Lots of boats would struggle in those waves and would take on water or capsize.

Back in 1993 my family rented a houseboat and spend two weeks on Table Rock lake. I was just 18 at the time with my parents, sisters, and future wife. About halfway through the trip we were stuck in a remote area of the lake during a thunderstorm and it was a nightmare. We finally got near a shoreline and I was in the water trying to tie down the boat to trees while my father was trying to keep the boat from crushing me. There were easily 6 foot swells and it was rough. I've never seen a lake get as violent as that.

Of course my future wife, my mom, and my sisters were just sitting inside playing cards during all of this, oblivious besides of the boat's movements.

[mkjeeves]

Fetch

Waves will continue to grow as long as there is a net addition of energy to them. Their height will increase as a function of wind speed and duration and the distance over which it blows (fetch). Most lakes are so small that fetch considerations are unimportant. Studies in larger lakes, however, have shown that the height of the highest waves are related to the fetch. In these lakes, waves as high as several metres are common, although waves of about 7 metres (23 feet) are the highest to be expected. Wave heights in a given portion of a lake may vary considerably, due to interactions that suppress some waves and amplify others. As waves develop, their lengths increase, even after their height has stopped increasing. The phenomenon of swell, commonly observed in the oceans, is not truly realized, even in the largest lakes.

Waves travel in the same direction as the wind that generated them and at right angles to their crests. If they meet a solid object rather than a sloping beach, much of their energy will be reflected. If they enter shallow water obliquely, they are refracted.

https://www.britannica.com/science/l...aves#ref359711

I don't know which way the wind was blowing that day but it makes a difference when it's blowing the length of a long lake and sometimes more so when it's funneled between mountains.

[shawnw]

I was able to quickly find pictures of me and my daughters in Seattle and Philly on ducks and in neither case were we wearing life vests. I know we got safety instructions, but this was years ago (my daughters are grown now) so I don't remember the particulars.

[Bill Robertson]

I was listening to NPR this morning on the way to work. I heard a couple interviews with lakeside resort owners/workers that said the storm literally came up in an instant and they had never seen anything like it before. I can believe this because my wife and I were on Hefner a few years ago just sailing along and all of a sudden we were in high, and I mean high winds. I always carried a knife for such emergencies and I cut the sail sheets (ropes for non sailors) because I couldn’t get them loose. I thought we were going down. By the time we motored back to the slip is was dead calm. The storm lasted all of 10 minutes but I was as scared as I’ve ever been.

[mkjeeves]

I've been in that situation where a storm came up I wasn't expecting. Might have been partially due to not looking at the weather possibilities.

In this case, it seems to have been predicted well in advance.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.c9d585bf5ffd

[LocoAko]

I was listening to NPR this morning on the way to work. I heard a couple interviews with lakeside resort owners/workers that said the storm literally came up in an instant and they had never seen anything like it before. I can believe this because my wife and I were on Hefner a few years ago just sailing along and all of a sudden we were in high, and I mean high winds. I always carried a knife for such emergencies and I cut the sail sheets (ropes for non sailors) because I couldn’t get them loose. I thought we were going down. By the time we motored back to the slip is was dead calm. The storm lasted all of 10 minutes but I was as scared as I’ve ever been.

Not to discount their experience or yours, but in this instance (as this is rightfully getting a lot of talk in the meteorological community) there had been a Severe Thunderstorm Warning out for 40 minutes before the storms hit that location, as well as a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for hours beforehand. We'll see what the NTSB finds in their investigation, but the idea that there was no warning and that it came out of nowhere like people always claim after these things is just simply not true.

More from the former President of the American Meteorological Society: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshal...ut-of-nowhere/

[Libbymin]

I was listening to NPR this morning on the way to work. I heard a couple interviews with lakeside resort owners/workers that said the storm literally came up in an instant and they had never seen anything like it before. I can believe this because my wife and I were on Hefner a few years ago just sailing along and all of a sudden we were in high, and I mean high winds. I always carried a knife for such emergencies and I cut the sail sheets (ropes for non sailors) because I couldn’t get them loose. I thought we were going down. By the time we motored back to the slip is was dead calm. The storm lasted all of 10 minutes but I was as scared as I’ve ever been.

These summer storms can really sneak up on you in a hurry. I was out doing yard work two Saturdays ago when the wind picked up out of nowhere and within 10 minutes, there was an absolute downpour and really heavy winds.

[Urbanized]

I have a lot of thoughts on all of this, but best to just say it's a terrible, terrible tragedy and I wish the best for all of the people affected.

[SoonerDave]

The video shows that the captain had steered the boat into the waves, which is exactly what I think you're supposed to do, but the waves were lapping up over the sides and going into the boat. I'm not sure what anyone could have done in that scenario. I remember riding them a few years ago and once the boat was in the water (on a calm day), I wished I had a life vest just out of general principle. Egress out of that boat given that roof and no vest would be problematic at best. I can't even watch that video.

I'm wondering if we will eventually hear from survivors that they escaped merely for making their own decision to bail out before the boat sank completely.

I'm betting there are some new rules or regs put out pretty soon that limit the max passenger load and/or mandates life jackets be worn. I just don't think there's anything you could do to that boat given it's structure to make it safer in that scenario.

[rezman]

The irony is that wearing life jackets would have made little difference if the boat is sinking and the passengers can’t get out. Sounds like there should have been some escape hatches built into the roof.

[BG918]

The irony is that wearing life jackets would have made little difference if the boat is sinking and the passengers can’t get out. Sounds like there should have been some escape hatches built into the roof.

Hopefully that is a change that is required on future duck boats. One or two of these hatches would've saved lives, assuming the people inside could easily open it.

[Uptowner]

I watched the video and couldn’t help but think I would have bailed the second the boat started taking on water. It lasted several minutes before it went down. I have been boating on nearby beaver lake this week. We caught a lot of freaky storms all week, including one on Monday that was so violent we had to just shut down due to visibility and get pelted.

Luckily a pontoon doesn’t take on water like a traditional craft, it relies on sealed aluminum tubes to float. But neither is a duck to be considered a traditional craft, they’re like floating tanks with considerable weight vs displacement. I couldn’t believe that such an unsubstantial craft is allowed to have inoperable windows with a hard ceiling and only one exit at the rear, and the other at the front like a school bus.

I’m more upset that they launched the boat with knowledge that a storm was coming. They always flare up over water as there is no trees or landscape to slow the wind. I get upset with a lot of the tourism culture in this area. It’s always “rain or shine, no rain checks, NO REFUNDS.”