BODEGA BAY, California. – At least one person is dead and four people are still missing after their boat capsized near Bodega Bay on Saturday.

The Coast Guard announced it had suspended its search around 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

One person was rescued Sunday, according to the Coast Guard. Another boater was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities confirmed to KTVU that the surviving boater was 11 years old. The sheriff’s office said the child was stranded and was being treated. Debris was also found along the coast.

The condition of the 11-year-old was not immediately known.

The age of the deceased boater was not immediately specified.

Rescuers searched more than 2,100 square miles.

“The decision to suspend a search is always difficult to make and it is never taken lightly,” said Chief Warrant Officer Michael L. Zapawa, search and rescue coordinator. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the missing boaters during this incredibly difficult time.”

Officials said the weather was very rough with waves reaching 14 feet and speeds of 40 miles per hour, as well as winds persisting overnight and into Sunday.

“This coast changes very quickly. There’s a lot of power in this ocean and the water temperatures are very cold and conditions change quickly. So even an experienced boater can be caught off guard,” said Rob Dillion, Sonoma Sheriff’s Public Information Officer.

According to the sheriff’s office, three adults and three teenagers were aboard a 21-foot blue and white Bayliner boat that set sail Saturday afternoon for the crab.

Rescue of a boat off Bodega Bay, November 3, 2024.

Authorities said they were last heard from around 3 p.m., when a cellphone signal rang them in the Carmet Beach area.

“We are searching from Bodega Bay to Point Reyes and 20 miles offshore. Changes in tides, changes in currents, wind and sea conditions can all add to the search area,” the Chief Petty Officer said Levi Read.

The boat was expected to return around 7 p.m. and around 10:20 p.m. Saturday, the sheriff’s office received a call about the missing boat.

The U.S. Coast Guard was informed of the situation around 11:40 p.m.

The sheriff’s marine unit, drone team, search and rescue team as well as the Sonoma County Fire Department and the U.S. Air Force are all assisting in the search.

The searchers included a cutter from Coast Guard Station Bodega Bay, as well as aircraft from three air stations, San Francisco, Sacramento and Humboldt Bay.