Charter Vessel Sinks After Hitting Rock Near Santa Cruz Island

A Southern California charter boat has sunk after hitting a rock near Santa Cruz Island earlier Thursday morning. All 14 people on board abanded ship and were picked up by a good samaritan vessel in the area.

Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles – Long Beach Command Center watchstanders received a mayday call at 2:33 a.m. from the captain of the charter passenger vessel Sea Jay reporting they had struck a rock and were taking on water with ten passengers and four crewmembers onboard.

The captain told the passengers and crew to abandon the ship while he anchored the vessel and released the life raft before boarding the raft himself.

Command Center watchstanders issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast requesting help from any nearby boaters while Coast Guard rescue crews were being deployed.

A nearby vessel, the Sea Biscuit, heard the broadcast over the radio and quickly arrived on the scene to begin to recover the survivors.

Shortly after that, a California Department of Fish and Wildlife small boat and a Coast Guard Station Channel Islands small boat took the survivors to shore, where emergency medical services awaited their arrival.

The vessel is fully submerged, anchored, and a sheen has been reported in the vicinity of the vessel. The vessel’s diesel fuel tanks have a total capacity of 220 gallons.

The Coast Guard and California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s OSPR have initiated a removal operation for the Sea Jay. A team of experienced salvage technicians and divers will refloat and stabilize the vessel, move it away from the island, and relocate it to a safe harbor for offloading any products aboard.

The operation will prioritize safety, efficiency, and minimizing environmental impact.

“This was a dynamic case that resulted in lives saved due to the quick actions of a good Samaritan, our Coast Guard watchstanders, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife,” said Capt. Ryan Manning, Commander of Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles – Long Beach. “Thankfully, we were able to quickly respond to ensure all persons made it home safely.”

The cause of the grounding remains under investigation.

In December 2022, a 60-foot fishing vessel carrying roughly 1,000 gallons of diesel grounded on Santa Cruz Island, spilling some of the fuel into the water and later breaking up along the coast.

In September 2019, 34 killed people were killed when a fire broke out on board the Conception charter dive boat near Santa Cruz Island as the victims slept in the vessel’s bunk room below deck.

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