Coast Guard Suspends Search for 4 Missing Boaters Off Bodega Bay

BODEGA BAY, CA – At least one person is dead and four are missing after their boat capsized off Bodega Bay on Saturday.

The Coast Guard announced that they suspended the search around 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

According to the Coast Guard, one person was rescued on Sunday. Another boater was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities confirmed to KTVU that the surviving boatman was 11 years old. The sheriff’s office said the child washed ashore and was being treated. Debris was also found along the coast.

The condition of the 11-year-old boy was not known.

The age of the dead boatman was not known.

Rescuers searched more than 2,100 square miles.

“The decision to suspend a search is always difficult, and it’s never taken lightly,” said Chief Warrant Officer Michael L. Zapava, search and rescue coordinator. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the missing boaters at this incredibly difficult time.”

Officials said the weather was very rough, with waves up to 14 feet high and gusts of 40 miles per hour, and winds continued overnight and into Sunday.

“This coast is changing very quickly. There is a lot of energy in this ocean, the water temperature is really cold, and the conditions change quickly. So even an experienced boater can be caught off guard,” said Sonoma Sheriff’s Deputy Public Information Officer Rob Dillion.

According to the sheriff’s office, three adults and three teenagers were aboard the 21-foot blue and white Bayliner that went crabbing Saturday afternoon.

Authorities said they were last heard from around 3 p.m., when a cellphone signal went off in the Carmet Beach area.

“We’re looking from Bodega Bay to Point Reyes and 20 miles offshore. Changing tides, changing currents, wind conditions, sea conditions can all increase the search area,” Chief Petty Officer Levi Reed said.

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 US Coast Guard was notified 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 of the US Air Force are assisting in the search.

Searchers included a boat from Coast Guard Station Bodega Bay, as well as planes from three air stations: San Francisco, Sacramento and Humboldt Bay.