A 63-foot luxury yacht, brimming with social media influencers, nearly met its watery end off the coast of Miami Beach last Saturday. The incident unfolded near Monument Island in Biscayne Bay, sending ripples – and a flurry of social media posts – across the internet. Thirty-two people were onboard the vessel when it began taking on water, prompting a swift response from the U.S. Coast Guard’s Sector Miami unit.
Thankfully, all passengers were rescued safely, with no injuries reported. The Coast Guard deployed air bags to keep the yacht afloat until a salvage company could take over. While the exact cause of the incident is still under investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the incident has sparked a conversation about passenger capacity on luxury yachts.
Videos circulating online show the influencers’ varied reactions to the near-disaster. Some maintained a remarkably calm demeanor, with one individual even quipping about hitting an iceberg – a reference to the Titanic. Others captured footage of the yacht sinking stern-first, as passengers scrambled to the bow.
The yacht, identified as a Tecnomar Lamborghini 63, has a variable passenger capacity depending on its configuration. While some models list a capacity of 12 or 16, the actual number onboard far exceeded the highest listed capacity. Experts suggest a boat’s weight capacity, in this case 24 tons, is a more reliable indicator of its safe carrying ability. This raises questions about whether the yacht was overloaded, potentially contributing to the incident.
The Miami Herald reported that a similar 2023 model of the yacht is currently listed for sale at $4.7 million, with a stated capacity of only 12 passengers. This listing further emphasizes the discrepancy between the advertised capacity and the actual number of people onboard during the near-sinking. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and further details are expected to emerge as authorities delve deeper into the circumstances surrounding the event.
