Alameda drowning victim was on fishing trip when boat began sinking

ALAMEDA — A man from Oakland who drowned on Saturday Authorities said Tuesday that was on a fishing trip with three others when their boat began sinking, forcing them into the strong currents of San Francisco Bay before rescuers could reach them.

Tom Lovanh, 60, of Oakland, has been identified as the drowning victim.

According to Alameda police, he and three friends — a 62-year-old man and his 17-year-old son, as well as a 58-year-old man — left Saturday from the Martin Luther King Jr. Shoreline boat ramp on Doolittle Drive near the Oakland International Airport for a day of fishing in San Francisco Bay.

It was unknown when they actually left. According to police, they were in a 14-foot fiberglass boat with a motor that one of the men had built.

Authorities said the boat began to sink around 1:15 p.m., while the group was in the bay off the coast of the Bay Farm Island Ferry Terminal.

According to Lt. Alan Kuboyama, police are still investigating why the boat began to sink and are focusing on a possible mechanical issue mentioned by the survivors.

They all ended up in the water and attempted to swim to shore. According to police, the three survivors either already had on or were able to quickly put on life jackets. They told cops that the current was too strong, so they clung to whatever they could.

Passers-by rescued Lovanh from the water. He was not wearing a life jacket, according to police, but it is unclear whether he did not have one on at the time or if it slipped off while he was in the water. Rescuers gave him CPR before transporting him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Alameda Fire Department sent a boat and seven rescue swimmers, most of whom were on 10-foot surfboards, to save the other three people, who were located between 100 feet and several hundred yards offshore, according to officials. They were taken to the hospital for observation before being released.