{"id":401503,"date":"2026-07-17T00:15:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T00:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/401503\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T00:15:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T00:15:12","slug":"what-passengers-should-know-about-boat-safety-on-the-san-francisco-bay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/401503\/","title":{"rendered":"What Passengers Should Know About Boat Safety on the San Francisco Bay"},"content":{"rendered":"

A deadly boating incident on the San Francisco Bay has killed at least one person, with three still missing as the search becomes a recovery mission. <\/a>\u00a0The body of a person who has not been identified was pulled from the water Thursday afternoon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Early reports from the incident<\/a> suggest the three-story boat was struck by a wave<\/a> before rolling over and sinking a short way from Alcatraz Island. Conditions on the water Tuesday were windy with rough seas, according to witnesses and first responders.\u00a0<\/p>\n

U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer, 3rd Class, Kenneth Wiese said strong tides and afternoon wind in the bay can \u201cget pretty turbulent out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looks like a river when the tide is going in and out [at] certain times of day,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The bay tides are so tricky to navigate, in fact, that all ships over 750 gross tons are required to have a \u201cbar pilot<\/a>\u201d: a special mariner who knows the local conditions to help them enter and exit these waters.<\/p>\n

\"\"A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter team looks for three people missing on July 15, 2026, after a boat capsized in the San Francisco Bay on July 14.<\/p>\n

Even so, boating accidents \u2014 especially deadly ones \u2014 aren\u2019t particularly common in the state. There were 479 recreational boating incidents<\/a> in California in 2024, according to the California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways. Those incidents, which span the coast and inland waterways like rivers and lakes, resulted in 214 injuries and 47 fatalities.<\/p>\n

Compared to open coastal waters, fatalities from recreational boating accidents are relatively rare on the San Francisco Bay. Zero fatalities were reported on the San Francisco Bay from boating accidents in 2019<\/a>, dipping from three deaths in 2015<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For a boat of this size to capsize, \u201cthis is a really unusual circumstance,\u201d said David McMurdie, co-founder of California Recovery Divers \u2014 a volunteer team that leads underwater search and recoveries in Northern and Central California.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, he said, a plunge in the bay\u2019s cold, fast-moving waters can quickly become life-threatening to even the most experienced boaters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can turn deadly instantly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what you need to know about boating safety in the San Francisco Bay, whether you\u2019re renting a boat or planning to be a passenger on a vessel.<\/p>\n

\nCheck the weather before you go out \u2026 and be prepared to cancel your plans\n<\/p>\n

First thing\u2019s first: Check the weather and water conditions. Wiese said the Coast Guard relies on forecasts and real-time water conditions from NOAA.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re worried, I\u2019d say the best case is not to go out,\u201d Wiese said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wiese also suggested bringing extra layers and, depending on the weather of the day and your itinerary, bringing or wearing a dry suit. You can also designate someone to be \u201clookout\u201d on the vessel to watch for hazardous conditions like mounting waves or nearby boats, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nGet your vessel checked by the Coast Guard\n<\/p>\n

Before you head out on the water, it\u2019s best to make sure all your safety gear is on board and hasn\u2019t expired.<\/p>\n

That includes items like life jackets, fire extinguishers, lights, registered emergency beacons<\/a> and \u2014 as required on certain boats since 2021 \u2014 an engine cut-off switch<\/a> that activates when the boat\u2019s operator falls away from the boat. Wiese said it\u2019s common to find boats with expired flares, for example.<\/p>\n

\"\"A U.S. Coast Guard boat participates in a search and rescue operation for three people missing on July 15, 2026, after a vessel carrying 20 passengers sank near Alcatraz in the San Francisco Bay on July 14.<\/p>\n

The Coast Guard Auxiliary offers free vessel safety checks<\/a> where volunteers will check your boat, without the possibility of punishment if you don\u2019t pass \u2014 to ensure you have all your federally required equipment on board.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMake sure you have everything on board according to federal regulations,\u201d he said. \u201cIt could really save your life if the worst-case scenario happens and buy you time when we\u2019re looking for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nTake a boating safety course\n<\/p>\n

According to the Coast Guard, in 2024, 69% of deaths occurred on boats where the operator had not received boating safety instruction.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Coast Guard Auxiliary offers boating safety courses<\/a> for a fee for anyone who wants to sign up, covering topics like boating law, safety operations and emergencies.<\/p>\n

The Coast Guard Auxiliary\u2019s website<\/a> is rich with information for boaters if you\u2019re looking for answers on equipment, regulations or statistics.<\/p>\n

\nListen to the onboard safety briefing\n<\/p>\n

The Coast Guard requires commercial vessels<\/a> to give a safety briefing before the boat starts cruising. McMurdie said it\u2019s important that you actually listen to it, so you know where the life jackets are located on the boat and any other need-to-know information. And if you\u2019re just out with friends on a boat one of you owns, it\u2019s still good practice to let everyone know where they can find emergency devices and life jackets.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While boarding the boat, you should also take mental note of all the escape routes from interior areas of the boat so you don\u2019t have to figure them out in case of an emergency.<\/p>\n

\"\"Boats sit in the harbor in Moss Landing on Feb. 12, 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be really disorienting,\u201d McMurdie said. \u201cA boat topples over with you inside of it and you\u2019re getting tumbled around \u2014 and if you add water inside the cab, it\u2019s probably going to be really dark.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cJust having that situational awareness might give you an extra chance of survival,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\nAlways wear a life jacket\n<\/p>\n

The number one thing you should always do if you\u2019re worried about safety on a boat is wear a life jacket, also called a personal flotation device or PFD.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the guys I work with likes to say, \u2018We\u2019ve never recovered anybody wearing a PFD,\u2019\u201d said McMurdie, who leads and performs underwater search and recoveries for deceased boaters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to the Coast Guard<\/a>, around 75% of boating deaths annually are due to drowning, with 87% of victims not wearing a life jacket.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nCreate and follow a \u2018float plan\u2019\n<\/p>\n

Even if it\u2019s a clear day, Weise advised creating and following a float plan,<\/a> which is a way to let your family and friends know where you intend to go and what time you expect to be back, as well as leaving contact information for passengers in case of an emergency.\u00a0<\/p>\n

No boat nor journey is too small to take this precaution, the Coast Guard emphasizes.<\/a> A float plan is \u201cequally effective for the owner of a 10-foot kayak or flat-bottom skiff as it is for a 48-foot express cruiser, or a 90-foot sport-fishing vessel or luxury yacht,\u201d said the agency.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nDon\u2019t drink and boat\n<\/p>\n

According to the Coast Guard, alcohol is the single biggest contributing <\/a>factor to boating deaths.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Boating while under the influence is actually illegal and dangerous to you, your passengers and other boaters nearby. Plus, the marine environment \u2014 meaning the constant motion, vibration and engine noise of the boat itself plus the sun, wind and spray exposure \u2014 all accelerate impairment, the Coast Guard says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAlcohol is even more hazardous on the water than on land,\u201d their website states.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nWhat to know if your boat begins to sink\n<\/p>\n

If you are on a boat that begins to sink \u2014 or if you\u2019re at all worried about going overboard for any reason \u2014 the best thing to do is immediately put on a life jacket, Wiese said. You can then start to assist others with their life jackets.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re inside or below deck, quickly leave for the top deck via one of the escape routes you identified and consider whether others might be trapped inside, too.<\/p>\n

Whether or not you should stay with the boat or swim away from it depends on how quickly it\u2019s sinking, he said. If it\u2019s staying mostly afloat, it\u2019s best to keep holding onto it so you don\u2019t have to expend energy treading water.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if the boat is actively sinking and you know it\u2019s going to go under, I suggest swimming away from it, looking out also for any entangling lines in the water that could wrap around you and take you down with it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easier said than done, but try to stay calm in this situation, Wiese said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a tendency to get cold water shock with these water temperatures that we have in the Bay Area,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you stay calm and relax, it\u2019s hard for your muscles to tense up.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re able, try to get everyone together in the water, both to make sure everyone is accounted for \u2014 it\u2019s easy to get separated with the strong currents in the San Francisco Bay \u2014 and for bodily warmth, he said. Form a circle, if you can, to help make floating easier and to conserve body heat between you.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While it might seem counterintuitive, Wiese advised against trying hard to swim: \u201cIt\u2019s better to stay still if you can and wait for help,\u201d he said. \u201cStay calm and try not to move around as much as possible, as the core temperature of your body can be seriously depleted by movement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re moving around in cold waters like we have in the bay here, all the body heat from your internal core will go to the outside to keep you warm, but you actually end up getting colder faster in the end,\u201d he said.
\u201cAnd limiting movement will conserve a lot of that core body heat and allow your body to stay alive longer without experiencing the heightened symptoms of hypothermia.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you can find something floating to grab onto, try to do so. And if you have any means to call the Coast Guard for help or signal distress to nearby boaters, you should do that as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nHow to help someone else at risk of drowning\n<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re on a boat in the bay and you see someone else in distress, you can immediately reach out to the Coast Guard<\/a> at 415-399-3547 to alert their 24-7 hotline that will activate emergency responders.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You can also attempt to help them, but in general, water safety experts advise<\/a> against jumping into the water yourself to save someone. Instead, toss them a flotation device, then attempt to pull them out of the water.<\/p>\n

KQED\u2019s Sydney Johnson<\/a> contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A deadly boating incident on the San Francisco Bay has killed at least one person, with three still…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":401504,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[101,103,102,104,106,105],"class_list":["post-401503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=401503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401503\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/401504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=401503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=401503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=401503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}