Boater drowns near Vandenberg

November 16, 2015

United States Coast Guard crews found the body of a missing boater Sunday afternoon near Point Arguello at Vandenberg Air Force base. The man was 46 years old.

Around 8 p.m. Saturday, the Coast Guard received a report of three people in the water off the Vandenberg coast. The boater’s 14-foot aluminum boat capsized about 100 yards east of Point Arguello, according to a Coast Guard news release.

After the boat capsized, two men managed to swim to shore. The 46-year-old man was reported missing, though, which prompted the Coast Guard to launch a search.

One crew responded on a 47-foot motor lifeboat that launched from the Morro Bay Coast Guard station. A Coast Guard Cutter Blacktip from the Channel Islands Harbor joined the search, as did Coast Guard helicopters from Los Angeles and San Diego.

The Santa Barbara County Fire Department also assisted in the search for the missing boater.

Crews found the man’s body around 3:25 p.m. Sunday about 50 yards from the Vandenberg boat ramp.

Authorities have yet to release the victim’s identity.

The Coast Guard reminds boaters to always wear a life jacket and file a float plan before leaving. Boaters are also instructed to carry with them a marine-band radio and a signaling device to communicate distress on the water.