Matt Brody returns to Baywatch to try to make up his lost relationship with C.J. But things take an unexpected turn when a group of ruthless modern day pirates take a millionaire couple hostage and place them under water on the wreck of the sunken oil platform with handcuffs and air for six hours. When Matt and Neely speed by in their Scarab motorboat, the pirates take them hostage as well. Meanwhile, Joey's past may jeopardize her adoption to Mitch when a professional beatnik criminal, named Trapper, recruits an unwilling Joey to commit a burglary job as payback for her mother's past scams against him.

Caroline blames herself for a teen's death in a fiery nighttime boating accident where five drunken, underage boys accidentally set fire to their boat with fireworks, and one of them drowns after the rescue. Caroline's behavior on and off the job is affected. She fails a lifeguard re-check, pushes away Mitch, Cody, and even Stephanie, who offer her comfort, and falls under the influence of bad-girl Neely in drinking and hanging out with her biker friends.