NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Sonoma County Sheriff’s officials assisted with the rescue of four adults and several children found with an overturned boat in Tomales Bay on Sunday.

Just before 1:30 p.m. Sunday the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Helicopter Unit (Henry-1) along with the Sheriff's Office Marine Unit responded to an overturned boat in the surf at the mouth of Tomales Bay just south of Bodega Bay, the agency reported.

Both units were focusing their patrols on the area because this weekend is opening day of recreational crab season.

Personnel from the US Coast Guard, the National Park Service (Rescue-29), Marin County Fire Department and the Bodega Bay Fire Department also responded.

The Sonoma County helicopter unit arrived in less than two minutes and found four people clinging to an overturned boat; one of them was holding a 3-year-old child, officials reported. None were wearing life jackets.

Sheriff's Pilot Paul Bradley landed on a nearby beach along with Deputy Sheriff Debbie Little and prepared for a long-line rescue.

The first person rescued was the 3-year-old, and then Pilot Bradley and Deputy Little returned to the overturned boat and, one by one, rescued the remaining persons from the hull of the overturned boat as it was being battered in the surf.

These five persons were long-lined to a nearby beach and turned them over to Marin County Fire Department personnel. The rescue of the first five took approximately nine minutes, Sonoma County Sheriff’s officials reported.

During the rescue, it was learned that two more children were trapped under the overturned boat. Due to the heavy surf, rescue personnel were unable to access the underside of the boat.

Rescue personnel from the National Park Service (Rescue-29) arrived and were able to tie the overturned boat to their rescue boat, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office reported. The overturned boat was towed to a safer location out of the surf and the two children were rescued.

All but one person on board the overturned boat were taken to an area hospital and treated for their injuries. The owner of the boat was from Elk Grove, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office reported.

This incident could easily have turned tragic. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office reminds everyone about the importance of wearing life jackets.