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A Cybertruck Sank in Ventura Harbor After Musk Said It Could Briefly Serve as a Boat

A Cybertruck sank after accidentally entering Ventura Harbor during a Jet Ski launch attempt, an ironic but uncontrolled echo of Elon Musk’s 2022 boat claim.
Entry057 Date Time2 min MechanicCarCody Team
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A Cybertruck accidentally slid into Ventura Harbor during a Jet Ski launch attempt on March 10, 2025, and sank in about eight feet of water. The episode is an ironic echo of Elon Musk’s 2022 statement that the truck would be “waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat”—but it was a mishap, not a controlled test of the Cybertruck’s ability to operate on water.

How the Cybertruck ended up in the harbor

The Los Angeles Times reported that Ventura Harbor Patrol officers spotted the truck bobbing near the boat launch ramp shortly before 11 a.m. The driver told TowBoatUS Ventura captain Carson Shevitz that he intended to put the truck in drive after launching a Jet Ski but selected reverse by mistake. The vehicle then slid down the ramp and into the water.

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Shevitz said the truck sank quickly in about eight feet of water. Storyful’s listing for video filmed by Jacob Barrick at the Ventura Harbor Launch Ramp says the Cybertruck had a Jet Ski trailer attached and was fully submerged before it was winched out. Barrick told Storyful, “When water entered the cabin, it sank and snapped the mooring lines.”

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What Musk said—and what this incident can show

The Los Angeles Times quoted Musk’s 2022 post: “will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat, so it can cross rivers, lakes & even seas that aren’t too choppy.” That is Musk’s statement, not evidence here of a Tesla certification or a guarantee of safe operation in every water condition.

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The Ventura truck entered the harbor accidentally during a launch maneuver. Its sinking shows what happened to this vehicle in this incident; it does not isolate a design cause, measure how long a Cybertruck could remain afloat under controlled conditions, or establish how another truck would behave. Calling it a “perfect test” is ironic framing, not a literal description of a scientific or manufacturer test.

Why the recovery required extra care

Shevitz said he connected the submerged truck’s front to a tow truck, which hauled it ashore. Because of concerns about the vehicle’s lithium-ion battery, he coordinated the operation with Tesla and fire officials. Responders did not see bubbling or hissing—signs Tesla engineers had warned could indicate battery gas release. Tesla field engineers assessed the truck as safe enough to transport to a service center.

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The Los Angeles Times reported that the operation took less than two hours and involved Ventura City Fire Department, Ventura Harbor Patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Shevitz described his initial reaction: “When I first heard that it’s a Cybertruck, I immediately thought of the batteries. It wasn’t an ‘oh cool,’ it was an ‘oh great,’ because there’s a lot of unknown things we have to figure out.”

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The report’s safety context is that damaged lithium-ion batteries can catch fire and release toxic gases, and saltwater exposure can cause battery failure and potentially start a fire. It does not report that this Cybertruck caught fire or released toxic gas.

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What is still unknown

The incident reports do not say whether the truck was repaired, written off, or returned to service. They also do not provide controlled test data or manufacturer certification establishing the Cybertruck’s suitability as a watercraft.

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