Nolan Wells' Friends Regret Fourth of July Horn Island Trip, Maintain Innocence

Nolan Wells' friends say they wish they had never gone to Horn Island on the Fourth of July ... believing Nolan would still be alive if they had stayed home.

TMZ obtained exclusive clips from the group's sit-down with YouTuber Brandon Tatum and their attorney, J. Tyler Cox ... ahead of the full interview dropping Monday on "The Officer Tatum Show" ... and his friends talk regret, race and more.

Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour open up about the tragedy and the allegations that followed ... including claims race played a role in Nolan's death.

Warren said he thinks every day about what he could have done differently, adding ... "I wish we would have never went out."

He said Nolan was like a brother to the group ... slamming the narrative that his death was racially motivated.

Jax went a step further ... arguing their friendship with Nolan was the exact opposite of racism ... while Morgan said the media should have let local officials investigate before pushing theories about what happened.

The friends also addressed the theory Nolan was aboard their sinking boat -- the Triton -- when someone called a private towing service for help.

They pointed to video showing the vessel during the call and said Nolan is nowhere in sight.

Warren and Jax also questioned why they would contact Sea Tow -- and later the Coast Guard -- if Nolan were dead aboard the boat.

As we reported, some listeners believed they heard someone ask, "Is he dead?" in enhanced audio from the call ... though it was never clear those words were actually spoken.

Cox said the group's decision to contact authorities is one of the strongest signs they had nothing to hide ... declaring their actions were those of "innocent men, not guilty men."

Nolan disappeared July 4 and was found dead along the Horn Island shoreline two days later. His friends claim Nolan refused to board the boat home when they left the island -- and they never saw him again.