TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Airmen from MacDill Air Force Base recently rescued eight people from an overturned pontoon boat that was encircled by a shark in Tampa Bay.

According to MacDill, on June 12 around 11 a.m., Staff Sgt. No. 6 Security Forces Squadron (SFS) maritime patrol team leader William Au sat with his partner, Airman First Class Kade Jones, looking out into the water around the air base.

According to the MacDill Air Force Base website, the US Coast Guard had issued a small craft advisory due to high waves caused by a tropical storm.

“Under this advisory, the MacDill Marine Patrol Unit would not normally do its routine sweep, both for its own safety and for the lack of boats in the water,” MacDill said.

Au said he had the gut feeling he needed to get to Tampa Bay.

“It was the weirdest thing. We just knew we had to go,” he said.

Au and Jones scanned the water surrounding the base and noticed a pontoon boat in the distance, completely overturned.

Eight victims washed up in the water.

The airmen called for reinforcements and began their rescue mission.

According to MacDill, Jones noticed a 10- to 12-foot-long bull shark circling the capsized boat.

Airmen 1st Class Samari Rivera-Rodriguez and Savin Venable, 6 SFS Marine Patrolmen, heard the call for help on the radio. They jumped in to help with the rescue mission.

When the second maritime patrol unit arrived, the passengers were divided between the two lifeboats.

The passengers were safe and the Coast Guard and Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrived within 15 minutes. The passengers were taken ashore and the Marine Patrol Unit and Coast Guard cleaned up the wreckage of the pontoon boat.