‘Bachelorette’ Contestants Brayden and Aaron Rescued After Fishing Boat Sinks

Two contestants from the most recent season of The Bachelorette are lucky to be alive after their boat sank while fishing 15-20 miles off the coast of San Diego. 

Reality TV stars Aaron Schwartzman and Brayden Bowers, as well as three other men, were rescued after their boat sank due to a fishing mishap and they were stranded in the water. 

“It’s like being trapped and helpless because there’s no service, we weren’t able to send a distress signal at all, and the only thing you have out there is hope, hope that somebody finds you, hope that a helicopter flies over,” Schwartzman told FOX 5 on Monday. 

“I finally bought the boat of my dreams, or so I thought, for it to sink on me,” Schwartzman said. 

Bowers explained what led to the boat capsizing, saying, “My buddy Gavin, he got his line stuck on the engine propeller, so Aaron just went to the back of the boat to lift the engine up and try and untangle it… all of a sudden, as soon as he stands on the swim deck… the boat literally just sunk,” he told FOX 5. 

In an attempt to paddle to shore, The Bachelorette alums and their friends linked arms and “started kicking.” 

“You think of the next steps…  but… what are the next steps when you’re 15 miles in the ocean, in a wind swell?” Schwartzman questioned.

Luckily, the group was eventually rescued by two cousins, Chris and TJ Keeran, who were out in the water fishing as well. They saw something reflective in the water and went to see if it was a boat holding fish. 

“For whatever reason, we came to look to see if it was holding fish and that’s when we saw the guys in the water,” TJ told FOX 5. “We were looking for yellowfin tuna and then found a school of men,” Chris joked. 

Schwartzman and Bowers met earlier this year while competing for Charity Lawson’s love on season 20 of The Bachelorette. Both men are also set to appear in the upcoming season of Bachelor in Paradise, which premieres Sept. 28. 

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