Back in September, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and the City of Destin held a joint press conference to debut the new Aqua Alert notification system. Aqua Alert is a missing boater public alert notification system that was developed to aid in the search for missing/endangered boaters and kayakers. 

• It was launched as a result of a collaborative effort between the City of Destin, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners.
• It is similar to Amber and Silver Alerts and is intended to increase visibility on the water.

The Aqua Alert concept was conceived by Minnesota resident Judy Schink after her husband, 61-year old Dave Schink, disappeared while kayaking in the Gulf of Mexico February 13th, 2021. During a search and rescue operation, Dave’s kayak was discovered twenty miles offshore but sadly, he was never located.

Before the alert is sent out, Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office will take all reasonable actions to ensure the search and rescue of missing boaters. However, when boaters meet certain criteria, they will be entered into the Aqua Alert tab of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Smart Phone Application that will then be pushed out to subscribers.

Dave’s wife Judy Schink, along with their son, Dan Schink, attended the launch of Aqua Alert in September and have been working to make it nationwide ever since.

Now, the Aqua Alert system is positioned to do just that as it was included in the National Defense Authorization Act last week.

• The Aqua Alert Act, introduced by U.S. Representative Dean Phillips and based on the Schink’s ideas and advocacy, passed as part of the national defense bill.
• It will require the Coast Guard to establish a pilot program for Aqua Alert-style messages to facilitate public assistance in rescuing distressed individuals on the water.
• It is awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature.