Full-Scale Search Underway for Missing Boater at Ruth Lake

Divers search the waters near Boy Scout Cove on Ruth Lake Saturday as the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office and Search and Rescue teams continue looking for a missing boater after a vessel reportedly capsized overnight. The U.S. Coast Guard assisted with an overnight aerial search before poor visibility and fuel requirements forced its helicopter to return to base. Photo courtesy of a Redheaded Blackbelt reader.

An overnight search for a missing boater at Ruth Lake has transitioned into a full-scale search and rescue operation Saturday, with Trinity County Sheriff’s deputies, Search and Rescue volunteers and divers continuing efforts near Boy Scout Cove on the popular place for Northern California residents to recreate.

According to Coast Guard Public Affairs Officer Third Class Kenneth Wiese, the U.S. Coast Guard received an agency assist request from the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office early Saturday after reports that three people had been aboard a vessel that capsized. Two people reportedly made it safely to shore, while one person remained missing.

“At 1:40 this morning, Pacific Daylight Time, Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay received an agency assist request from the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office…,” Wiese told Redheaded Blackbelt. “We were asked to assist because local aviation resources were unavailable.”

The Coast Guard launched Rescue Helicopter 6564 from Air Station Humboldt Bay. According to Wiese, the crew flew multiple search passes over the lake and observed ground search teams and a boat on the water but did not locate the missing person. The helicopter was forced to return to base at approximately 3:56 a.m. because of low fuel and deteriorating weather conditions as fog moved into the area.

Wiese said another Coast Guard helicopter was prepared to launch Saturday morning if requested by the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office, but as of the interview, no additional request had been received.

Scanner traffic monitored Saturday morning indicated deputies and Search and Rescue personnel were developing a plan to deploy drones in the search area near Ruth Marina. Divers were later seen entering the water.

A local resident who asked not to be identified described hearing unusual activity on the lake overnight.

“A helicopter was flying low in what seemed to be a search pattern over Ruth Lake with spotlights on the water,” the resident said. “We heard what sounded like jet skis on the lake in the dark.”

The witness later reported that deputies had established a command presence near Boy Scout Cove, with the sheriff’s patrol boat in the water and Search and Rescue teams deployed. The resident also observed divers entering the lake as the search intensified.

Scanner traffic and local reports suggest the boat may have overturned or crashed near Boy Scout Cove while traveling toward the Hobart Way area, though officials have not confirmed the circumstances of the incident.

Because many recreational boaters are on Ruth Lake this weekend, anyone who is on the water is encouraged to remain alert and, if it can be done safely without interfering with search operations, keep an eye on shorelines and coves for anything that may assist rescuers. Anyone who observes something that could be related to the search should immediately notify the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office.

At this time the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office has not yet responded to requests for information. Weekends often make it difficult to obtain official details, but information from Coast Guard officials, scanner traffic and witnesses indicates the search remains active.

This is a developing story. Redheaded Blackbelt will update this article as additional information becomes available from the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office.