Search Efforts Fail to Find Lost Fisherman

Authorities scoured miles of ocean along the Ventura Harbor on Thursday in search of a fisherman who apparently tumbled off his boat shortly after stepping out of view for a cigarette break while dumping leftover bait.

Mike Jamison, 46, was part of a two-man crew on board the crabbing boat the Highrise, owned by local fisherman Ray Chambers.

Chambers took the Highrise out early Thursday morning to dump extra crabbing bait, mostly fish bones, into the ocean. The pair didn’t plan to be out too long because one of the boat’s two motors had gone out earlier in the week, making it ill-equipped for a long day of fishing, fellow fishermen said.

Coast Guard officials said the boat was only about a mile out from the harbor when Jamison told Chambers he was going to take a break from dumping the 500 pounds of bait and light up a cigarette. He stepped out of Chambers’ sight. About five minutes later, when Chambers returned to look for his friend, Jamison was gone, authorities said.

The Coast Guard started a massive search for Jamison about 8:30 a.m., calling in help from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, Ventura Harbor Patrol, and the Department of Fish and Game.

About a dozen local fishermen also joined the search, setting aside their own fishing lines to comb the waters for a colleague and friend.

“This is just senseless,” said Matthew Vandepol, a 25-year-old fisherman with a boat that docks next to the Highrise. “They weren’t even working today. They just went out there to dump bait. This shouldn’t have happened.”

Vandepol and others described Jamison, whom they affectionately called “Hillbilly” because of his North Carolina roots, as a veteran seaman with 15 years’ experience. He had been working on the Highrise for about six years, Chambers said, and slept many nights on board. Other nights he spent in a motor home parked nearby.

“He was such a nice guy, and he just worked so hard,” Vandepol said. “He was constantly on the boat working. He was really known for that.”

“He was one of the best guys that ever walked,” added Chambers, who spent several hours Thursday afternoon searching for his crew mate. “Just a really good soul.”

Vandepol said his friend was probably lifting the large drum holding the bait over the side when he lost his balance and fell into the water. Dressed in a full fisherman’s slicker and heavy rubber water boots, Jamison, friends believe, probably quickly fell under the waves.

“This is a hard business,” said Terry Wilmarth, a fisherman for 28 years who docks near the Highrise. “You lose a few friends over the years.”

Sport fisherman Bob Perron, a regular at the local bar where many of the fishermen gather to unwind, said he has also lost friends while out on the water.

“Any time we lose somebody, that’s really sad,” Perron said. “It happens more than people think.”

Wilmarth and Vandepol were among those searching for Jamison. But by late afternoon, neither held out much hope for finding their friend. Coast Guard officials were also pessimistic, noting that with water temperatures hovering around 63 degrees, the fisherman could only survive about eight hours before hypothermia set in.

“It doesn’t look good,” Petty Officer Kerry Kingery said. “We have covered a large area. It’s very saturated. But we haven’t found anything.”

Searchers did turn up a black Harley-Davidson baseball cap floating in the water that friends identified as Jamison’s.

Fellow fishermen were preparing Thursday night to hold a bonfire on the beach, something they regularly do to remember a fellow seaman who dies on the ocean. Chambers, however, said he wasn’t sure about lighting the fire just yet. He was still holding out hope Jamison would be found alive.

Authorities said the seas were relatively calm, making for good search conditions. But local fishermen reported swells of 4 to 5 feet by late afternoon and waters had become murky.

“He could have been right in front of you, but you can’t see,” Vandepol said.

Coast Guard officials said they will continue their search today if necessary.

Friends began returning from their search by late afternoon Thursday and gathered on nearby docks to hug one another, trying to brace themselves for the worst.

“If he died, he died doing what he loved to do,” said one mourner who would only identify herself as Dee.

“He was a fixture here,” Wilmarth said. “He loved this life.”