FWC investigates boaters seen on video dumping trash in the ocean

A boatload full of kids leaving the Boca Inlet is not an uncommon occurrence. But things took a turn when some youths recently were seen on camera tossing two trash cans full of garbage into the choppy turquoise seas. The footage drew outrage on social media.

“This one is pretty unbelievable guys,” wrote the camera operator for Wavy Boats, a popular Instagram account with 694,000 followers that recorded and published video of the incident. “We filmed this crew leaving Boca Bash 2024 yesterday,” the Monday morning post continued.

In a statement, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission indicated it has started an investigation after being notified of an incident “involving illegal trash dumping.” Among other things, the agency would also determine whether the boaters in question had attended this year’s Boca Bash, an annual floating party of boaters that took place Sunday on Lake Boca, just inside the Boca Raton Inlet.

“This is currently an active investigation, and we will release additional details when available,” the FWC said.

This year’s Boca Bash attracted throngs of revelers of boats on the waterway, enjoying a sunny day. As in past years, the celebration drew concerns about trash being left behind in the water.

Brook Crist, a local boater who makes nets for lobstering, conducted a cleanup after the bash and it turned into a scavenger hunt. She and friends hauled in two 5-gallon buckets full of trash — mostly beverage cans and champagne bottles; dozens of sunglasses; loads of plastic bead necklaces; makeup containers and a demolished smartphone.

Crist said she, too, saw the Wavy Boats video on social media and posted this message: “We cleaned up the lake today and didn’t even attend Boca Bash,” she wrote. “Then you have people like this, just throwing in trash cans full of bottles, cans. … Ridiculous.”

Wavy Boats’ clip shows about 10 or so young people frolicking aboard a blue center-console boat. As the vessel headed out to sea, two young men moved to the rear of the boat and appear to dump two trash cans full of what seemed to be beverage cans and bottles into the ocean.