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Family remembers men who died in boating accident

Posted at 8:22 AM, Nov 19, 2012
and last updated 2012-11-19 12:46:47-05

The families of two men who died on the Great Salt Lake Saturday are talking about the accident.

Three men were in a flat bottom boat while duck hunting on Saturday afternoon. Wind and rain caused their boat to begin sinking.

One of the men was able to swim to shore, while two others stayed behind.

Search and rescue teams located the bodies of Chad Tohinaka and Logan Hardman, both 25 years old.

Harbor Master for the Great Salt Lake Marina, Dave Shearer, said he spotted the surviving member of the group just as he made it to shore.

"He was in okay shape. He was very cold, but he was coherent," Shearer said. “He said they [the other two] decided to stay with the boat and he wanted to swim in to try to get help and that the boat had capsized before he swam in."

The families of the men who lost their lives took to Facebook to talk about the bond between the victims, who were life-long friends.

Tohinaka's sister Kelsi posted a message that stated: "They grew up together and passed together. They were great brothers and I wouldn't trade a single memory of them."

Hardman's wife Tasha said, "It give me great comfort knowing that you guys were together and not alone."

Hardman also left behind a 3-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son.