Rescue underway near Alcatraz after boat sinks, one dead, two missing

A 49-foot cabin cruiser sank near Alcatraz Island on Tuesday afternoon, leaving Clifford Boisa dead, two people missing and 16 others rescued as San Francisco crews rushed into one of the bay’s busiest stretches. The San Francisco Fire Department was first on scene, and later the San Francisco Police Department Marine Unit located the sunken Volare near where it went down.

The trip had begun as a memorial service on San Francisco Bay, with mostly family members and friends aboard to spread ashes. The boat’s owner and operator, John Boisa, said the outing turned tragic as the vessel sank. Officials later identified the man who died as Clifford Boisa, 79, a retired Sutter County reserve sheriff’s deputy.

The rescue effort stretched through the night and into the next day. ABC10 reported that crews searched for nearly 24 hours, covering about 950 square nautical miles with 11 boats and four aircraft, while many of the survivors were pulled from the water with help from Good Samaritans. The U.S. Coast Guard said it would continue searching until sunset Wednesday before shifting to a recovery phase, and later suspended active search operations for the missing.

The wreckage was found about 120 feet below the surface, underscoring how quickly a sinking vessel can disappear in the waters off San Francisco. Near Alcatraz, ferries, tour boats and recreational craft move through a high-traffic corridor where visibility, wind, currents, fog and cold water can complicate both escape and rescue. The island’s status as one of the city’s most visited landmarks only magnified the attention on the emergency.

For boaters, charter passengers and families heading out on the Bay, the episode was a sharp reminder that the water around Alcatraz is unforgiving. Even a planned memorial gathering can turn into a large-scale emergency in minutes, and survival often depends on immediate help from nearby vessels while fire, police and Coast Guard crews close in.