---
title: "Off-Duty Firefighter Swims Out to Save 3 Boaters in Jacksonville"
url: https://www.herejacksonville.com/2026/10/18/off-duty-jfrd-firefighter-saves-3-boaters-big-talbot-island/
date: 2026-10-18T05:30:35-04:00
modified: 2026-10-18T05:30:35-04:00
author: "Marina Freeman"
categories: ["Public Safety"]
site: "HERE Jacksonville"
attribution: "HERE Jacksonville"
---

# Off-Duty Firefighter Swims Out to Save 3 Boaters in Jacksonville

> JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Three boaters stranded on an overturned boat off Big Talbot Island made it back to the beach safely Saturday morning after a Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department firefighter who was off duty heard their cries and went into the water after them. Firefighter Otto Scherick was not working. He was out on

*Source: [HERE Jacksonville](https://www.herejacksonville.com/2026/10/18/off-duty-jfrd-firefighter-saves-3-boaters-big-talbot-island/) — October 18, 2026 by Marina Freeman*

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Three boaters stranded on an overturned boat off Big Talbot Island made it back to the beach safely Saturday morning after a Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department firefighter who was off duty heard their cries and went into the water after them.

Firefighter Otto Scherick was not working. He was out on a trail toward the beach celebrating his girlfriend’s birthday when the screams reached him, according to the department. He ran to the water’s edge and saw the young boaters waving from the capsized boat offshore.

He swam out to them and, after reading the current, decided that heading for shore was their safest choice. Nobody on the boat had a life jacket, so Scherick pulled the gas tank free and used it as something to hold on to while he led the group in. Another person on the beach also swam out and stayed alongside them until they reached land.

Dispatchers got the first call around 10:47 a.m., with callers putting the boat as much as 800 yards out. All three boaters were on the sand by 11:14 a.m., a span of 27 minutes, and crews from JFRD Engine 66, C shift, were waiting for them. No one was hurt.

Fire Chief Percy Golden II, who also serves as the department’s director, credited Scherick with running toward trouble with no radio, no crew and no gear, only his training and sound judgment. He said Scherick is the kind of firefighter the department wants in uniform.

The department used the rescue to remind boaters to wear a life jacket on every trip. Anyone who sees a person in trouble in the water should call 911 right away and throw them something that floats, and should only go in after them if trained to do so.