2nd boat capsizes off Sonoma County coast near Bodega Bay; 1 dead, 1 missing
A boater was found dead and another was missing off the Sonoma County coast near Bodega Bay Monday after the second fatal boating accident in the area in less than 48 hours, authorities said.
The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said a boat capsized at about 7:10 a.m. Monday off of Bodega Head. Crews recovered one boater and provided life-saving efforts, but the unidentified male victim did not survive, sheriff's spokesperson Misti Wood said.
A search for a second boater was still underway as of 10 a.m. Monday. Public Information Officer Robert Dillion said the office had deployed a helicopter, drones and had crews on shore assisting with the search, along with resources from the U.S. Coast Guard, California State Parks, and local fire agencies.
Rescue crews, including a Coast Guard helicopter, were seen around a capsized boat in choppy surf between Bodega Dunes Beach and Mussel Point.
"The ocean is really rough today, the waves are very large and the water is really rough," said Wood. "Yesterday the water was rough as well and it was windy."
A Small Craft Advisory was in effect for the Bay Area Coast and Central Coast between Point Arena in Mendocino County to Point Piedras Blancas in San Luis Obispo County until Tuesday morning.
On Saturday, a crabbing boat capsized in Bodega Bay three adults and three teenagers aboard. One person was found dead and another person was rescued Sunday morning the Sheriff's Office said. A search for the remaining four boaters was suspended at 6:30 p.m. Sunday pending any development of new information.
Saturday's capsizing coincided with the beginning of recreational Dungeness crab season on the Sonoma County coast.
The Coast Guard urged all boaters to always check the weather conditions before heading out on the water, file a float plan and carry a working VHF radio to call for assistance.
Anyone with information about the missing boaters was asked to call the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office at 707-565-2121.
Bay City News contributed to this report.