SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A popular sportfishing boat won't be returning to a Point Loma dock. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, Jig Strike with H&M Landing sunk roughly 100 miles off the San Diego coast. The incident leaving many in the area shaken.
"You don't think about it ever happening, you just kind of think its' safe and you go," says Gayla, visiting from Dallas, Texas.
The Captain of Jig Strike Patrick Dorety posted to social media saying 'the boat hit something above the surface out at cortez bank.'
It’s a situation some can’t even begin to imagine.
"That’s just kinda tragic," says Mitchell, a former resident of San Diego who is visiting from Tucscon, Arizona. "Somebody sank out there, I mean even if they survive you’re in the water for who knows how long until you get picked up.”
But thanks to quick actions by Captain Dorety's crew as well as nearby boats in the area… all 17 people onboard were able to get off and on to another vessel in the area.
Many people who fish here often like Muhammed Qazi credit the safety precautions many of these local boat companies take that make a difference.
"When we're on the boat they go over the safety protocols at the very beginning, Them letting us know where the life vests and rafts are," says Qazi. "But it's also good knowing that for them it's kind of second nature to jump in when you need to."
And when it comes to the next fishing trip — a tragic incident like this won’t stop them from their next catch with the company.
"I don't think it’ll hold me back . I think it's the nature of being in the boating industry," says Qazi. "Ultimately you do your best to avoid it and that’s why you have those safety precautions."
