1 month ago
33
U.S.|Lake Tahoe Boaters Died Without Life Jackets, Review Finds
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/us/lake-tahoe-boat-victims.html
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
The eight people who died in a June accident were found without flotation devices, according to a new report. The two survivors relied on the devices to stay afloat.
July 24, 2025Updated 6:28 p.m. ET
The eight people who died during a birthday boat trip on Lake Tahoe last month were found without life preservers after a fierce storm upended their vessel and flung them into the chilly water, according to a new report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
Only two people survived the accident. One was wearing a flotation device, the report said, and the other was clinging to one.
Within about two hours on June 21, the 10 passengers went from enjoying the calm waters of Emerald Bay, a scenic cove on the west side of the lake, to fighting for their lives against a torrent of rain, waves and icy precipitation, according to the preliminary review released this week.
The 28-foot long Chris-Craft boat, named Over the Moon, launched from Tahoe City, Calif., around 10:40 a.m. that morning. It picked up passengers at a nearby marina and traveled about 10 miles south to Emerald Bay. Skies were clear and winds were light when the boat anchored there for about an hour and a half.
As the clouds increased before 2 p.m., the boat operator tried twice to return to the marina, the report said, but he was overwhelmed by wind and waves in Emerald Bay. Hail collected in the boat and waves as large as eight to 10 feet crashed over the side, a survivor told investigators. The boat eventually took on water, its engine stopped and Over the Moon tipped sideways against the waves.
One of the survivors put on a personal flotation device and distributed more devices to everyone else onboard, according to the report.
