Coast Guard suspends search for 4 missing boaters that disappeared near Bodega Bay coast
BODEGA BAY, Calif. - At least one person is dead and four people are still missing after their boat capsized near Bodega Bay on Saturday.
The Coast Guard announced that they suspended their search around 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
One person was rescued Sunday, according to the Coast Guard. Another boater was declared dead at the scene, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities confirmed to KTVU that the surviving boater was 11 years old. The sheriff's office said the child washed ashore and is being treated. Debris was also found along the coast.
The condition of the 11-year-old was not immediately known.
The age of the deceased boater was not immediately made clear.
Rescuers searched over 2,100 square miles.
"The decision to suspend a search is always difficult to make and never done lightly" said Chief Warrant Officer Michael L. Zapawa, search and rescue coordinator. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the missing boaters during this incredibly difficult time."
Officials said the weather was very rough with up to 14-foot waves and 40 miles an hour, plus winds continuing overnight and into Sunday.
"This coast changes really rapidly. There's a lot of power in that ocean and the water temps are really cold and conditions change quickly. So, even an experienced boater can be caught off guard," said Sonoma Sheriff's Public Information Officer Deputy Rob Dillion.
According to the sheriff's office, three adults and three teenagers were aboard a 21-foot blue and white Bayliner Boat that set sail Saturday afternoon to crab.
Boat rescue off the coast of Bodega Bay on Nov. 3, 2024.
Authorities said they last heard from the people on board around 3 p.m. when a cellphone signal pinged them in the area of Carmet Beach.
"We're searching from Bodega Bay to Point Reyes and 20 miles offshore. Changing of tides, changing of currents, wind conditions, sea conditions can all add to the search area," said Chief Petty Officer Levi Read.
The boat was expected to return around 7 p.m. and around 10:20 p.m. Saturday, the sheriff's office received a call about the missing boat.
The U.S. Coast Guard was informed of the situation around 11:40 p.m.
The sheriff's marine unit, drone team, search and rescue team, and the Sonoma County Fire Department with the U.S. Air Force are all assisting in the search.
Searchers included a cutter from Coast Guard Station Bodega Bay, as well as aircraft from three air stations, San Francisco, Sacramento and Humboldt Bay.