Dec 5, 2007 6:36 pm US/Pacific
Search For Crabbers Called Off; Waves Kill Surfer
PILLAR POINT (CBS 5 / AP) ―
The U.S. Coast Guard suspended the search Wednesday afternoon for a crab fishing boat with two men on board which disappeared Tuesday off the San Mateo County coast, where just further south a renowned surfer was killed by massive waves.
There has been no sign of the vessel Good Guys and its two male crew members since they disappeared into the surf about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Coast Guard Lt. Anya Hunter said.
"Eight separate searches were conducted by Coast Guard aircraft and motor lifeboats. Based on the water and air temperatures and sea conditions, predicted survivability for the two fisherman was less than eight hours," Hunter explained.
Authorities said the Good Guys vessel was returning after crabbing with a second boat to Pillar Point Harbor when the two boats lost contact. The harbormaster at Pillar Point believes the two boats were the only ones to leave the harbor on Tuesday.
The waves were reportedly exceeding 20 feet in the area Tuesday, and craft and surf advisories remained in effect for much of Wednesday.
"It's pretty rough out there," Hunter said.
Elsewhere, 45-year-old Peter Davi of Monterey was surfing Tuesday in an area called Ghost Trees along the Monterey County shore – a spot known for its 20-foot waves - when he lost his board. Davi attempted to swim to shore, but never made it back.
Friends of Davi lost sight of him and later found him floating in the water unconscious. A Monterey County coroner's office official said Davi was pronounced dead at the scene.
Davi's death came just days before the waiting period opens for the big wave surf contest at Mavericks off the shore of Half Moon Bay, where waves rolled in Tuesday at 20-foot heights and larger.
According to the official Mavericks Web site, Davi was one of the early pack of brave surfers to test themselves at Mavericks after word got around about its massive waves.
The National Weather Service downgraded a High Surf warning to a High Surf advisory on Wednesday morning for the Northern and Central California coastline after forecasters said the waves had decreased in size. The advisory was allowed to expire Wednesday evening.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
