Coast Guard, Del Norte Sheriff Searching for Boater(s) After Vessel Sinks Off Crescent City

A Humboldt Bay Coast Guard helicopter scoured the waters off Crescent City looking for any occupants of the vessel that may be in the water. [Photo by Crystal Desadier]

According to the U.S. Coast Guard station in Humboldt Bay, the agency received a report of a vessel that sank around 11:20 a.m. It is not yet known how many people were aboard the boat at the time.

Reports from Crescent City residents monitoring radio traffic indicate a Coast Guard diver was deployed to the water near where the vessel went down roughly a mile west of Battery Point Lighthouse. The Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office boat is also reported to be assisting with the search.

The Coast Guard said it would release additional information as it becomes available, calling this an ongoing search.

Conditions in the water are cold. Sea surface temperatures off Crescent City are running around 51 degrees this week, according to NOAA satellite data, cold enough that hypothermia becomes a serious risk within a short time for anyone in the water without protective gear. Air temperatures Wednesday were in the upper 50s under mostly sunny skies, with average wave heights offshore running in the 5-to-7-foot range.

This is a developing story. Redheaded Blackbelt will update as more information becomes available from the Coast Guard and Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office.

Update:

Body of Sole Boater Recovered Off Crescent City