BRAZORIA COUNTY, Texas – The Brazoria County Sheriff's Office says it is not releasing the names of the two fishermen who drowned near San Luis Pass out of respect for the families.
The circumstances surrounding their deaths remain under investigation. Authorities tell Local 2, that they believe the two were on a sandbar wading in the water when they were swept away in the fast-moving, swirling currents that surround Bird Island.
One of the victim's was found around 8 a.m. Monday about a half mile south of Bird Island where their boat was tied up.
The other fisherman's body was spotted in the same area a short time later.One was 60 years old. The other was 61.
Investigators say both men had on wading boots. Neither was wearing a personal flotation device. Authorities say one of the fisherman's wives called the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office and said her husband went on a fishing trip Monday morning but hadn't returned home.
The waters around San Luis Pass are notoriously murky and often treacherous. The sand has a tendency to shift and the area is known to have uncharted drop-offs. Authorities say that's why swimming and wading is allowed on the ocean front only.
The U.S. Coast Guard, Brazoria County Sheriff's Office, Galveston Police Department Marine Unit and the Jamaica Beach Volunteer Fire Department assisted in the recovery efforts.