6 injured in San Joaquin Delta boat crash during high school fishing competition

Boat crash injures 6 during high school fishing tournament in Contra Costa County

A collision between two boats during a high school bass fishing tournament near Orwood Resort in Brentwood injured six people, prompting a large emergency response and an ongoing investigation.

BRENTWOOD, Calif. - A boating accident in the San Joaquin Delta injured six people Saturday morning as dozens of high school teams launched for a fishing tournament.

Boats entered the water just before 7 a.m. from Orwood Resort for a bass fishing competition organized by the Student Angler Federation.

The collision happened about three-quarters of a mile south of the marina, according to the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office.

What we know:

Contra Costa County Fire Protection District firefighters were sent just before 6:55 a.m. to the Orwood Resort in Brentwood, just north of Discovery Bay, for a water rescue after receiving reports of the collision.

Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Brandon Burruss said units arrived at the scene and discovered that two boats had crashed in the delta, and one of the vessels landed on top of the other.

Another boat in the water managed to rescue the occupants before authorities arrived at the scene. Others managed to tow the two damaged boats back to the shore.

Witnesses describe collision

Boat captain John Wolfe, who was nearby, said one vessel slowed in a low-speed zone while another did not.

"Or boats get up on plane doing about 45, 55 mph, but there's one location down the slough that has a 5 mph zone, now whether that was permitted as a 5 mph zone, because it's only got one dock. One of the boats slowed down to go 5, the other boat that was behind it went right up on top, off to the side, and it wasn't pretty," Wolfe said. 

Another competitor, Rory Castle, described the impact.

"Next boat comes, hits it, about 15, 20 feet in the air, one boat goes off to the side, the other boat kind of goes off towards the middle. Luckily the kids were okay but the boat that was hit was hurt pretty bad. He got some injuries to his spine, his arm, and a facial injury too," he said. 

Rescue efforts and injuries

Several nearby teams rushed to help those involved before first responders arrived.

"You could see that the boat was severely damaged, there was a guy in the boat screaming," said boater Nathan Mundy of Elk Grove.

"Three were ejected out, their life vests expanded, they all made it to shore, but the ones that were in the boat were the ones that got severely injured," Wolfe said.

The Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office said only one of the boats involved slowed in a no-wake zone. 

Four of the six injured were sent to local hospitals. The office said the crash remains under investigation. 

Dig deeper:

Barry Sterud, youth director at the California Bass Federation, said about 50 teams of California high school students had gathered at the Orwood Resort to participate in the 2026 Student Angler Federation, which had a California Open Challenge in the San Joaquin Delta that set off from the resort that morning.

Sterud said each of the boats held a team of two teenage anglers and one adult boat operator.

Sterud said one teen suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung, and one adult remained hospitalized overnight.

"It was a pretty bad accident boaters are really going to have to work on safe boating and we need to drive these boats like the school buses here with all these kids on board, so keep these guys in your prayer," he later told the crowd of boaters. 

Organizers said safety protocols and boating rules are reviewed before each event.

"First of all, it's super unfortunate. There are a lot of rules. Everyone has a boater's card, everyone's up to legal and then the tournament director went over all the list of rules and stuff like that pre-tournament," said boat captain Brad Soto.

"So they'll send out a big document that's got all the rules and stuff, and it basically just talks about voter etiquette. We have a whole bunch of stuff, not getting too close to people, giving everyone their space, and then just being aware, just like if you're driving a car," said boat captain Jared Defremery.

The tournament continued and serves as a qualifier for a national championship in Kentucky in June.