Last body found after boat capsizes on Lake Tahoe in sudden storm,
bringing death toll to 8
[June 24, 2025]
By BROOKE HESS-HOMEIER and OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) — The body of the last person missing from
a boat that capsized on Lake Tahoe in California during a sudden and
powerful weekend thunderstorm was found Monday, bringing the death toll
to eight.
Ten people were on board the 27-foot (8-meter) gold Chris-Craft vessel
when it flipped Saturday afternoon near D.L. Bliss State Park on the
lake’s southwest edge as the storm whipped up high waves, U.S. Coast
Guard officials said.
Two people were rescued immediately and taken to a hospital in unknown
condition. Six bodies were recovered later Saturday and a seventh body
was found Sunday evening, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s
Office. Divers searched a section of Lake Tahoe and found the last body
Monday afternoon.
The names of the victims won’t be released until family members are
notified, Sgt. Kyle Parker said.
Drowning and other accidental deaths have occurred in recent years on
the lake, but boating accidents with numerous fatalities are rare. The
South Lake Tahoe Police Department told KCRA-TV in 2022 there are an
average of six deaths on the lake each summer, though there were a
record 15 fatalities in 2021. The department couldn’t immediately
provide updated numbers.
The intensity of the thunderstorm surprised even forecasters, who had
predicted some rain but nothing like the squall that lashed the southern
part of the lake around 3 p.m., said meteorologist Matthew Chyba with
the National Weather Service office in Reno, Nevada. Winds topped 35 mph
(56 kph) and waves swelled up more than 8 feet (2.5 meters).
“We weren’t expecting it to be so strong,” Chyba said.
He said temperatures in the area were far below normal for this time of
year, which could have contributed to the unstable air mass.
Eight-foot waves on Tahoe is “pretty significant,” Chyba said. “They
were really rocking the lake.”
Lake Tahoe is a popular summer recreation destination for boaters,
kayakers and paddleboarders. The pristine lake with very cold water
straddles California and Nevada and is one of the deepest in the
country, second only to Oregon's Crater Lake.
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In the photo released by the U.S. Coast Guard, a capsized vessel
floats is seen near D.L. Bliss State Park at Lake Tahoe, Calif.,
June 21, 2025. (Petty Officer 1st Class Justin Smith/U.S. Coast
Guard via AP)
Officials haven’t shared any details about the group on the boat
that capsized, or said whether the vessel was rented or owned.
Saturday's storm cleared out within about two hours.
Brittany Glick was on a rented pontoon boat with seven others
celebrating a friend’s bachelorette party Saturday when the wind
began picking up and the waves started getting bigger. The day had
started sunny but suddenly the temperature dropped and there was
almost no visibility, Glick said Monday.
“It felt like we were in a tsunami that was starting. I have never
experienced anything like that,” she said.
As the boat returned to the dock after about an hour of navigating
increasingly choppy waters, soaking the passengers, it started to
hail.
“We were shaken up seeing all the boats flipped," Glick said. "And
being drenched in that water, we were so cold. We were shaking
uncontrollably. Our feet were numb, and our toes were turning blue.
That was probably one of the scariest moments I’ve had in my 30
years. The storm came in so quick. It was terrifying.”
Video obtained by KCRA-TV showed moored boats at a nearby marina
crashing into one another amid strong gusts.
___
Rodriguez reported from San Francisco. Associated Press reporters
Christopher Weber and Jaimie Ding contributed from Los Angeles.
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