First responders from Whidbey helped make sure a boat experiencing problems in rough water made it to safety over the weekend.

North Whidbey Fire and Rescue received a call from the Coast Guard at 7:28 p.m. on Sept. 14 about a shrimping boat with four occupants taking on water in the West Beach area of Deception Pass Bridge, according to Deputy Chief Ray Merrill.

Launching a marine rescue boat from Cornet Bay and another from Moran Beach, Merrill and others had eyes on the 31-foot vessel “slightly underway” and “drifting” southwest by 7:42 p.m.

As the boat’s bilge pump was working when help arrived, Merrill explained, Fire and Rescue could safely escort the vessel underneath the bridge and through the calmer waters of the La Conner channel.

Merrill added that from there, Swinomish Tribal Police and Swinomish Search and Rescue ensured the boat reached Anacortes without issue.

Nobody was injured and all occupants were wearing life jackets, Merrill reported, although the cause of the boat’s leaking is still undetermined.

Merrill added that sinking vessels are hardly a common occurrence in North Whidbey Fire and Rescue’s experience.

“This is kind of unusual,” he explained. “Of course, we do get boats that are taking on water, but we see few a year, not a lot.”