'It was a scene from the Titanic': Fishermen recall rescuing passengers from sinking boat in SF Bay

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Two commercial fishermen described the desperate rescue efforts they undertook after a three-level vessel sank in San Francisco Bay with 20 people on board, leaving several people trapped and others struggling in the water.

Mike Montoya and Justin Marceline said they had not planned to be on the water Tuesday but made a last-minute decision to go fishing.

While out on the bay, they noticed what they described as smoke or steam about two miles away and headed toward it. When they arrived, they found a vessel rapidly sinking and passengers fighting to survive.

"Moments of chaos" unfolded as people jumped into the freezing water, clung to the side of the boat and yelled for help, according to the fishermen.

"She didn't have a lifejacket, and she was flailing, and I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up. The imagine is etched in my mind. She had bright blue eyes and she looked up at me and said help, and I was like, 'You look like my mom. I'm not going to let you go. I promise you.' She told me she didn't want to die, and I told her 'I'm not going to let you die,'" Marceline said.

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Montoya and Marceline said they were the first to arrive at the scene and rescued eight or nine people from the water before first responders reached the area.

"The boat was already sinking. It was about halfway in the water. I say they were on their knees in the second deck in the gally. Within a minute they were up to their shoulders," Marceline said.

Montoya said getting close enough to rescue victims was difficult because of the debris scattered across the water.

"Yes, there was so much debris on the water and people and stuff everywhere. I couldn't tell what was a person and what wasn't, and I was maneuvering the boat in and out, and we would grab a person and back up and see who the next person to grab was," Montoya said.

Within minutes, they said, first responders from across the Bay Area arrived with divers and rescue crews, joining the effort to save those on board. But both men said the most haunting images were of people they could not reach in time.

"There was one window open and when we pulled on the scene, Mike said, 'There are people in there banging. The window -- break the window!' and like I said, there were mostly older people, and they couldn't break the window. It was a helpless feeling," Marceline said.

"Can't even imagine. We were throwing weights at the window and handed a guy a weight here break the window or kick the window and he looked at us like, 'I'm exhausted. Can't do anything,'" Montoya said.

Marceline compared the scene to a maritime disaster.

"It was a scene from the Titanic in real life. Like people banging on the window trying to get out. It's probably something I will never forget," he said.

Sudden immersion in water under 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius) can lead to cold water shock, a condition where people lose dexterity in minutes. That can be dangerous or deadly when trying to escape a sinking watercraft.

As of Wednesday, dive teams continued searching for three people who remained missing following the sinking.

U.S. Coast Guard crews combed cold, choppy waters in and around San Francisco Bay on Wednesday for the three people missing nearly a day after the boat capsized with 20 family members and friends aboard to scatter the ashes of a loved one.

Ralph Boisa said his extended family and a few close friends were on his younger brother's boat Tuesday afternoon to celebrate the life of his daughter who died at age 33 in 2016 and loved to surf.

His older brother, Clifford, died shortly after being pulled out of the water. Sixteen others were rescued as the cabin cruiser took on water, listed heavily to one side and rolled over before sinking. Clifford's dog also died.

The three people missing are his sister Carol, Clifford's wife Jackie, and his daughter's friend, he said.

"We've gone through a lot of tragedy over the years," said Boisa, who lost his other daughter in 1995. He lives in Washington and couldn't make it for the excursion.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.