WTF???

Recovery efforts for William Schneider, 18, missing and presumed drowned near the mouth of the Santa Clara River, were called off Friday night after rescue teams battled high swells off the Ventura shoreline.

Schneider, a younger brother and sister, and their father, Steve Schneider, 45, all from Camarillo, were in a small, 12- to 14-foot open boat called a skiff about 100 yards offshore near the river mouth when it capsized before 1 p.m., said Glen Albright, Ventura Fire Department deputy fire marshal. Their names were released late Friday evening by Ventura County Sheriff's Capt. Ron Nelson.

About 5:30 p.m., recovery efforts were called off as darkness fell over the beach. Rescue crews set up a perimeter from Ventura Harbor to Channel Islands Harbor and about a quarter-mile off the shore, officials said. A helicopter briefly searched again later Friday after the fog lifted.

"Weather permitting, we will begin the search again first light," said Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Joe Luna. He added that it will include watercraft, all-terrain vehicles and Sheriff's Department helicopters, depending on the weather.

The four made it to shore, but heavy 10- to 12-foot breakers carried the 18-year-old son back into the ocean, officials said. The daughter and the younger son looked exhausted as they boarded an ambulance at a unified command post set up at the Surfers Knoll parking lot.

The father, who had a bloody gash on his face, was placed on a gurney and into the ambulance. All three were taken to Ventura County Medical Center. Their injuries were minor, according to Albright, who said none of them was wearing a life jacket.

Mary Lindley of Ventura said she saw the family struggling on the beach.

"We heard them calling for help so we called 911," Lindley said.

By 4 p.m., sheriff's officials had taken over the unified command that included crews from Oxnard, Ventura and Ventura County fire departments, the Coast Guard, Ventura Harbor and Los Angeles County Fire Department Baywatch officials.

Ventura County Sheriff's search-and-rescue teams rode the rough waves in watercraft, while rescue personnel in ATVs combed the shoreline.

Sheriff's helicopters had attempted to join the search when the fog lifted about 4:45 p.m., but low visibility made it difficult for an aerial search.

"As we lose daylight, it's going to become more difficult to continue recovery," Albright said.

A group of six family members and friends continued searching with flashlights until about 7 p.m., long after most rescue personnel had left.

"We are just making sure they get off the beach safely tonight," said Chris Dyer of the Sheriff's Department, who was waiting for them to stop searching.

Earlier, curious onlookers had walked along the beach and stared at the huge swells.

"A lot of people who go out there are inexperienced," said Bryan Thomas, 47, of Ventura. "You swim and you surf in this area in your own risk. This is a really sad time for something like this to happen."

About 4:12 p.m., the Ventura Harbor Patrol towed the boat onto the sand near the command center at the Surfers Knoll parking lot.


Paramedic Matt Allende scans the ocean Friday for signs of William Schneider, 18, who was presumed dead after the boat at right flipped over near Ventura Harbor with four people in it.


Two members of Ventura County Fire Department's Water Rescue Team assist in the search before nightfall and low visibility forced it to end. The recovery effort will resume today.

/\/\/\/\~~~~~/\/\/\/\~~~~~/\/\/\/\~~~~~/\/\/\/\ not smooth seas. :-(

Happy Holidays Jim!

update! No PFD's

Search continues for missing teen
By Kevin Clerici, [email protected]
December 24, 2005
Rescue crews using all-terrain vehicles, helicopters and watercraft scoured miles of shoreline today for a Camarillo high school student, missing and presumed drowned after his boat capsized off the Ventura County coast. Three family members survived the accident.
No signs of William Schneider, 18, had been found by midafternoon.
"He was a champion. He was a very strong swimmer," said Brett Rooke, Schneiderâ??s stepfather who was back at the vast, rolling fields of beach near the Santa Clara River mouth where Schneider was last seen about 1 p.m. Friday. "Iâ??m not giving up hope."
Schneider, a younger brother and sister, and their father Steve Schneider, all of Camarillo, were in a 14-foot skiff in heavy seas about 100 yards offshore when it capsized just before 1 p.m., officials said. None were wearing life jackets.
The three were home Saturday recovering from exhaustion and shock after being released from the hospital.
The father suffered a gash on his face.
The four broke free of the boat and got to shallow water where they could stand, but 10- to 12-foot breakers knocked William Schneider under and carried him back into the ocean, said Rooke who held up a picture of Schneider for television cameras and relayed the few details he knew of the accident.
The sister, Madeline Schneider, 16, a member of the Camarillo High School water polo team, reached shore first and ran for help.
"She lost all her clothes as she was swimming in," Rooke said. "Sheâ??s a hero."
The four apparently were on a boat ride, something they frequently did with their father.
Rooke described Schneider as an athletic, intelligent student who loved to snowboard in winter and wakeboard in the summer. He turned 18 on Nov. 28.
"He could run your business for you," Rooke said. "He was smart. He took care of things."
Rooke and Schneiderâ??s mother returned Friday from vacation in Cabo San Lucas to calls from authorities that her childen were being taken the hospital.
Schneiderâ??s mother was too distraught to go the beach, Rooke said.
Beginning at 7 a.m. today, two-man rescue teams on all-terrian vehicles combed roughly six miles of shore from the Ventura Harbor to Port Hueneme while divers with flashlights probed jetties and rock caves for any clues of Schneider.
"The first 24 hours are the most critical, which is why we are throwing our best effort now," Kevin Donoghue, a senior sheriffâ??s deputy said.
Clear afternoon skies afforded rescue crews good visibility, but unusually high churning walls of whitewater continued to barrel into shore.
The National Weather Service said the high surf, caused by storms about 1,100 miles out in the Pacific, is expected to ebb throughout the weekend before kicking up again next week.

What a tragic story and so very sad. Our prayers are with this family tonight.... Rob said it right... hug your loved ones as one never knows.

Very sad and tragic.... Bill




â??If your not part of the solution... you're part of the problem"

More.

Search for capsize victim continues
Rescue crews spend Christmas looking for Camarillo teen

December 26, 2005

On Sunday, volunteers and search and rescue crews worked for a third straight day in an effort to find a Camarillo teenager who is missing and presumed drowned near the mouth of the Santa Clara River.

The search for 18-year-old William Schneider continued until 5 p.m. Sunday and will resume today at 8 a.m., said Rick Harwood, senior deputy with the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.

The teen, his younger brother and sister, and their father, Steve Schneider, 45, all from Camarillo, were in a 14-foot open boat about 100 yards offshore near the river mouth when the skiff capsized about 1 p.m. Friday. The others made it safely to shore.

As the search continued Christmas Day, few people walked along that stretch of beach. Surfers tried to catch some of the waves, which weren't as high as in days past. Four young people, including a boy wearing a Santa Claus hat, walked nearby.

Miles away, William Schneider's family was spending Christmas with friends and relatives, now hoping that the rough sea would release its powerful grip on their loved one so they could bring him home.

"We know that we all have to deal with this loss," said Brett Rooke, the teen's stepfather. "We hope and pray that he is in a better place ... that he is not suffering somewhere."

Friends and relatives, including many from out of town, have poured their love and support to William Schneider's family since the boating accident.

"We've all been bonding together in one household," said Rooke, adding that the families have always been close. "We are just sticking together as tight as we can. It is about the loss of our most loved one ... It's a little rough and tough for everybody."

All day Sunday, 16 volunteers with the Sheriff's Department's Search and Rescue Unit were combing the coastline.

They included Ted Powers of Oak View, Antonio Arizo of Granada Hills and Ed Morland of Simi Valley, who said they didn't mind leaving their homes and families on Christmas morning to take part in the search. They said they know others in the community would do the same thing for them.

"I've got family and if somebody was lost, I'd want them to be looking for them also," said Morland.

"It's just a way of giving to the community" on the holiday, said Powers.

"We're trying to find closure for this family," Arizo said.

Sheriff's officials on Friday took over the unified command set up at Surfers Knoll parking lot and included crews from the Oxnard, Ventura and Ventura County fire departments, the Coast Guard, Ventura Harbor and Los Angeles County Fire Department Baywatch.

Rooke said the family deeply appreciates how members of the community, friends, emergency crews, search and rescue volunteers and others gave up their time, offered prayers and also brought food to the family.

"The community has helped us tremendously," Rooke said. "All of us want to extend that thank-you to everyone in the community."

William Schneider was a kind, gentle and loving young man who was very good with computers, said Rooke. He loved to help people and was a great friend, Rooke said.

"It is just a horrible tragedy. What else can I say, something that we will never get over," he said.