SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) — Three fishermen who were rescued from the waters near Tomales Bay say they are lucky to be alive after their boat capsized Friday morning.
Minh Nguyen described what happened after the fiberglass boat he and two friends were crab fishing on, capsized in 8-12 foot waves.
“We were having fun crabbing, all of the sudden, the rope stuck to my propeller. I couldn’t get it out, started getting bad,” said Nguyen.
SKY7 was overhead when the Coast Guard arrived to rescue the fisherman, assisted by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Marine Unit.
Nguyen says they were in the water for about 15 minutes before help arrived.
“There was three people in the water, two of them were wearing life jackets, one was not, they had to rescue all three from the water,” said Sonoma County Sheriff’s Sgt. Juan Valencia.
“When I knew the boat was sinking, I tried to get life jacket on, it’s too late for me, the boat flipped over. I grabbed the boat,” said Nguyen.
The three fishermen were quickly brought to shore in Bodega Bay. One man suffered hypothermia and was taken to the hospital.
Nguyen is feeling lucky and grateful to the first responders who rescued him and his friends.
“I love America. It’s the best country, I came from Vietnam, it’s hard to find something like this in any other country,” said Nguyen.
Surfer bitten by shark at Sonoma Co. beach
Earlier in the day, authorities responded to a shark attack at North Salmon Creek Beach.
A surfer who was about 200 yards offshore was bitten in the hand, which left bite marks on his surfboard.
“He received some medical attention, declined to be transported, and took himself to a local hospital for treatment,” said Valencia.
The sheriff’s department says the shark was likely a juvenile, and it doesn’t know how large it was. Local surfers say they see small sharks frequently.
“Doesn’t shock me, this is a spot where sharks are talked about a lot. Lots of open ocean,” said surfer Niko Procopio.
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