OCEANSIDE — An Oceanside Harbor Police officer jumped into dark, cold water to rescue six boaters after their vessel sank Oct. 30. All six were brought aboard the rescue vessel without injury.

Harbor Police received a VHF Channel 16 mayday call about 7 p.m. that the 40-foot sportfisher The Great Escape was sinking rapidly, approximately 6 miles from shore.

Shortly after clearing the harbor, officers aboard the rescue vessel sighted a lone flare. When the flare, approximately 4 miles away, went out, rescuers kept their vessel on the same heading until they sighted the sinking boat.

The survivors were already in the water, huddled together with life jackets on. Harbor Police officer Dana Darling leaped into the 63-degrees-Fahrenheit water and helped bring the victims aboard the rescue vessel, one by one.

The six — including two teenagers, a woman and three men — were wrapped in blankets and warmed up quickly. None suffered from hypothermia.

While studies show that survival time in 60- to 70-degree water can range from two to 40 hours, the victims in this incident were in the water less than 30 minutes — thanks to their radio call being heard and their lone flare being spotted. The survivors also had an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB).

The cause of the sinking is currently under investigation.