Search for missing fisherman to resume Tuesday

TOMALES BAY, Calif. (KTVU) -- The search for a man missing from a capsized boat will resume Tuesday morning off Tomales Point, according to authorities.

Already one of his fishing companions has been found dead, and the other, rescued off the rocky shore, may be the mishap's lone survivor.

"He was conscious, and his injuries do not seem to be life threatening, " John dell 'Osso, of the Point Reyes National Seashore told KTVU.

The trio had set out Monday morning about 7 a.m. in a 20 foot fishing boat. Within two hours, authorities were alerted they had capsized.

"They were found on the south side of Tomales Point," Marin County Fire Battalion Chief Bill Roberts told KTVU. "We have found the boat and that's where the survivor and the victim were found."

The boat had crashed against rocks about a mile north of Pierce Point Ranch.

One man was found dead in the water. The other man was rescued nearby and airlifted by the U.S. Coast Guard to Memorial Hospital in Santa Rosa.

The air and water search was hindered through the afternoon and evening by a thick layer of fog that reduced visibility.

Marin Search and Rescue volunteers tackled the ground search, canvassing five miles of rocky shoreline in teams, shouting out in case the man is alive and injured.

"You could be 60 to 100 feet away and not see him in these fog conditions, " SAR leader Mike St. John told KTVU. "It's pea soup out here."

Survivability drops as time passes. On Tuesday, more searchers will be added to the 25 already on scene.

"We're still optimistic and we're going to keep searching," added St. John.

Life jackets were spotted in the wreckage, but since they weren't being worn, didn't help the men thrown into churning, frigid water.

"Near the mouth of Tomales Bay, it's often treacherous," noted dell 'Osso. "And there's a lot of current action. That current can be very wild and unforgiving."

Even the most experienced local mariners know navigating Tomales Bay is tricky.

In April, four people perished fishing in the same area when their boat capsized. That group had set out from Bodega Bay in Sonoma County, headed to Marin.

There are no details yet on where the newest victims are from.