SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Boating season has arrived in San Diego, but federal officials are urging the public to be wary of illegal charter operators after the U.S. Coast Guard stopped one such “pleasure craft” last week.
According to the Coast Guard , crews encountered the 26-foot vessel on Saturday, May 3, off the coast of San Diego. At the time, a boarding team was conducting a safety inspection of the boat, which was carrying 10 passengers and one non-credentialed crew member.
Upon further inspection, the Coast Guard crew determined the boat was being used as a charter vessel without meeting a number of key requirements for commercial boating operators…