A pre-dawn salmon fishing trip ended in tragedy near the Golden Gate Bridge after a 25-foot recreational vessel slammed into the jagged rocks of Marin County, killing one person and seriously injuring two others.
The incident occurred just after 6:00 a.m. Thursday when the Grady White fishing boat crashed into the rocks near Lime Point, right beside the north tower of the iconic bridge.
According to officials, the three men had launched from Pier 52 in San Francisco hoping to catch salmon beyond the Golden Gate. Instead, the vessel suffered a massive gash in its hull, began taking on water, and capsized.
“They were underway and ran aground into the rocks,” an official stated in a KTVU FOX 2 broadcast covering the tragedy. “All traumatic injuries… and then the boat started taking on water and they ended up in the water for approximately five minutes.”
First responders from multiple law enforcement and fire agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, rushed to the scene. Despite the victims wearing life jackets, the rescue was complicated by the early hour.
“At the time that they struck out rocks it was dark,” explained Richard Smith, commanding officer of Coast Guard Station Golden Gate. “Our crew members had a difficult time actually identifying people while they were on the water, and we actually had to use our spotlights to identify them.”
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The victim who lost his life was identified as 35-year-old Daniel Yu Chin of San Jose.
The two surviving men were transported to Marin General Hospital with serious traumatic injuries.
“This is just one of those unfortunate outcomes where we did the absolute best we could given the circumstances and unfortunately one member did succumb to their injuries,” a first responder lamented.
The San Francisco Police Department is currently leading the investigation to determine what caused the seaworthy vessel to run aground.
Authorities are examining a variety of factors, including the operator’s boating experience, heavy morning vessel traffic, and the dark water and weather conditions at the time of the crash.
Rest in peace, Daniel Yu Chin.
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