A San Francisco man was identified as one of two people found dead in Marin County after taking a late-night canoe trip to view bioluminescent creatures Saturday, while the other man remains unidentified.
The men had been headed to White Gulch Beach, an inlet on the western side of Tomales Bay within Point Reyes National Seashore, where they planned to camp after their bioluminescence tour, as the Chronicle reports. They were reported missing Sunday morning by other members of their camp.
First responders located the two men at about 1:30 pm during an air and water search-and-rescue operation, according to the Marin County Fire Department. Both men were wearing life vests.
According to ABC 7, the Marin County Sheriff's Office identified one of the men Monday as 36-year-old San Francisco resident Casey Flynn Melia. The other man has not yet been identified.
Responders initially found the unidentified man unresponsive in the water and transported him to Bodega Bay in Sonoma County, where he was pronounced dead. Search crews later found Melia unresponsive near Hog Island and took him to Sacramento Landing, where he was also pronounced dead.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths remain under investigation by the Marin County Sheriff's Office, the US Coast Guard, and the National Park Service.
The men were there hoping to see bioluminescence, a phenomenon caused by microscopic organisms called dinoflagellates that emit flashes of light when disturbed, per the Chronicle. The phenomenon can sometimes be seen along the California coast and in bays, with the season in Tomales Bay generally running from June through October.
Marin County Fire Department Battalion Chief Bret McTigue cautioned that conditions around the bay, particularly near its mouth, can be extremely dangerous.
"The area of Tomales Bay and the mouth of Tomales Bay in particular is one of the most dangerous waterways imaginable in California coastlines, so if you are coming out, you need to do your homework," McTigue said, per ABC 7.
Fire officials are urging people heading out on the water to wear life jackets and carry a marine radio.
Related: Four Tomales Bay Kayakers Get Helicopter Rescue After Nearly Being Swept to Sea
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