02 June 2023 , 09:34
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A dad who was on board a pleasure cruise when the deaths of two children at Bournemouth beach occurred said he was surprised the trip continued.
Luke Owen and his family set out with dozens of others on the Dorset Belle just minutes before 10 people got into trouble in the water on Wednesday - with a boy, 17, and a girl, 12, later pronounced dead.
The boat - which sets off throughout the day from the North Beach's Victorian pier - has since been impounded by police at Cobb's Quay Marina in Poole. A man in his 40s arrested on suspicion of manslaughter has been released under investigation.
Luke captured some footage from the deck looking back at the shore and pier. It is unclear of the circumstances, with Dorset Police confirming it is not believed a vessel struck any of the victims.
There is some speculation, however, swimmers may have been caught up in the wake created by a boat or jet ski.
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He said the 4pm trip - which lasted around 40 minutes - was the first the boat had made since Monday afternoon due to the bad weather and conditions.
999 calls were made just after 4.30pm.
Luke Owen captured footage during the Dorset Belle's final trip on Wednesday (Luke Owen)
A 12-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy died in the incident on Bournemouth Beach on Wednesday (Luke Owen)Luke, 35, from Kingston, south west London, was on a three-day holiday on the south coast with his wife and two children.
He said lifeguards had made announcements warning people about riptides and not to swim close to the pier prior to the tragedy.
Those on board had no idea about the incident until they docked back up at the pier and saw the beach had been evacuated, he said.
The Dorset Belle has been impounded at Cobb's Quay Marina in Poole (PA)He told the Mirror: "When we looked no one was on the beach and before we left everyone was on the beach. It was empty, everyone was just staring.
"I’m first thinking it was a shark attack, because I did hear there was a shark attack a few weeks back."
Luke then spoke to the boat operator who told him one person had been pulled from the water and one was still missing.
"As he's told me that, we looked up to the sea and the 17-year-old was being pulled out. The ambulance came across and collected him."
An air ambulance on the beach (Max Willcock/BNPS)He said: "Nothing really affects me but when it’s something like that it kind of hits you.
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"Especially as I was with the family, my little one especially, I wanted to get out of there.
"My son’s 14 so he wanted to see what was going on so we looked briefly and police were saying for people to move."
They could see paramedics performing CPR on the beach.
Police officers walk along Bournemouth beach front (PA)He said there had been numerous announcements about dangerous riptides throughout the three days, but he heard just one referring to swimming near the pier - earlier on on the day of the incident.
Luke said: "To be honest, to me it sounds like a terrible tragedy. It was said quite a few times about the rip tides the day before. And the lifeguards were advising people not to get close to the pier.
"There was announcements over the course of the three days, and there are flags you have to stay within."
Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Farrell (centre) during a press conference (PA)Luke and his family had seen the pleasure cruise operating on Monday when they arrived and had planned to get tickets on Tuesday - though all trips were stopped.
The family were on the beach each day and Luke continually checked back to see if the boat would be operating, before he was told on Wednesday afternoon it would at 4pm.
He claims he was told by a worker selling tickets that "the riptides have been there each day but we’re hoping at about 4 o’clock to get going".
"I came back at 3.30pm and paid for the tickets. That was the first boat since the Monday, I would believe," he said.
A bunch of flowers left on Bournemouth beach (PA)Luke said he was surprised with all the cancellations that the trip went ahead - and described the boat as having around 60 people on it, close to half its capacity.
However, describing the conditions, he said: "It was absolutely fine - at sea there was a bit of wind, but on the beach it was absolutely fine. The boat ride went fine."
Luke said he "prayed for the people" who died and his thoughts are with their families.
In a Facebook post from Wednesday on the now taken down Dorset Belle Pleasure Cruises page, it stated: "The sea conditions at Bournemouth pier are set to improve this afternoon and the sun will be back out according to the forecast so we are planning to carry out at 16.00, 17.00, 18.00 and 19.00 round the bay once we have completed and are happy with out berthing trial."