Ford Bronco can't roll with the tide, gets swallowed by the sea

The Ford Bronco might be an off-road vehicle, but it's not a submarine. One Bronco owner found that out the hard way this past weekend when his four-door Ford 4x4 became stuck in a sand bar, only for the high tide to submerge the Bronco. It's been stuck since Saturday in Bar Harbor, Maine USA, and efforts are underway today to finally salvage it.

The Bronco became stuck sometime Saturday; however, the owner could not recover it before the high tide returned, completely submerging the vehicle. Efforts to pull it out during the low tides failed over the weekend. Yesterday, a recovery crew from Island Towing attempted to tow it out in the morning, but the three-inch tow strap snapped. The crew returned last night with two tow trucks but could only pull it about 100 feet before having to stop. The Bronco was too heavy, the mud too soft, and the SUV's tyres locked.

According to the Mount Desert Islander, a local newspaper, a diver positioned flotation devices around the Bronco this morning in an effort to lift it out of the gunky mud that's been stymieing the recovery efforts. The plan is to guide the floating vehicle toward land so a tow truck can rescue it. Previous photos posted to the newspaper's Facebook page show the SUV completely submerged.

It's unclear how the Ford got stuck in the first place, but the driver should have known what was possible as there are signs warning people about the dangers of becoming stuck in the sand bar. It says cars must cross 1.5 hours before and after low tide, with high tides lasting nine hours. The sign notes that recovering a vehicle could cost about $150.

Everyone needs help now and then:

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Vehicles like the Bronco push their off-road capability, but they have their limits that owners often learn about through painful and expensive first-hand experiences. Even though the Bronco can ford rivers and traverse open deserts, it can't go everywhere or survive all Mother Nature has to throw at it, including the ocean. Don't worry if you like submersibles, though, as Jeep might have such a product one day in the future, thanks to electric vehicles.