A family fishing trip ended in disaster after three were found dead and two remain missing after a three-day trip off the coast of Alaska.
Brandi Tyau, her sister Danielle Agcaoili and her husband Maury were found dead after disaster struck the fishing trip over the Memorial Day weekend in Sitka.
Tyau’s partner Robert Solis, a former Navy diver, and the captain of the vessel hired from Kingfisher Charters, Morgan Robidou, remain missing at sea.
Authorities suspended a more than 20-hour search covering 825 square miles on Monday and have no plans to resume it after finding the boat partially submerged off an island.
The women’s parents, older brother and sister-in-law were on the other charter boat as part of a three-day trip to a destination fishery known for king salmon and groundfish.
Danielle, Brandi and their sister-in-law didn’t like fishing but joined the vacation to spend more time with family who are split between Hawaii and Los Angeles.
Authorities suspended a more than 20-hour search covering 825 square miles on Monday and have no plans to resume it after finding the boat partially submerged off an island
‘It was just supposed to be a simple family get-together for eight of us, since we haven’t been together in the same spot for so long,’ Michael Tyau, the older brother said.
‘For it to turn out like this is really devastating.’
The Tyau siblings — Michael, Brandi and Danielle — grew up fishing in Hawaii with their parents.
Michael said his sisters hated being cold and wet but would endure it for their water-loving parents and later their partners.
Brandi’s longtime partner, Robert Solis — a Navy diver-turned-private investigator who was stationed in Hawaii when they met decades ago — was someone for whom ‘ the ocean really was his life,’ one of Solis’ brothers said.
So when the Tyau siblings’ mother suggested a family trip last year, a fishing vacation in the Sitka Sound won out.
‘My sisters, I think, reluctantly agreed,’ Michael Tyau said.
He and his wife flew from Los Angeles to Alaska on Thursday with Brandi, 56, and Solis, 61.
They met up with their parents, sister Danielle, 53, and her husband, 57-year-old Maury, all Hawaii residents.
The whole family stayed in a lodge owned by charter boat company Kingfisher Charters in Sitka.
The small port city with a backdrop of a stunning volcanic mountain is located on the shore of Baranof Island, which is part of a cluster of islands dripping off Alaska’s southeast coastline.
Robert Solis (left) and his partner Brandi Tyau (right) were aboard the charter fishing vessel Awakin when it ran into trouble Sunday in rough seas in Alaska. Brandi died, Robert is still missing
Morgan Robidou, the Awakin vessel’s captain, is also still missing and has not been confirmed dead at this time
The area is a ‘premier fishing destination’ for tourists because the many bays and passageways created by the islands provide protection from the wind and waves on days when the open sea is too rough, Kingfisher Charters says on its website.
Forrest Braden, executive director of the Southeast Alaska Guides Organization, said anglers often stay for multiple days on trips to the region.
‘It’s more of a fishing-themed trip for a lot of people, rather than being one of a variety of activities that they do,’ he said.
The boats the family clan chartered, named the Pockets and the Awakin, set out Friday amid rough conditions. Michael said his sisters and wife spent the day’s voyage seasick in the two boats’ cabins and skipped Saturday’s trip to recover on land.
When Sunday dawned, their last vacation day before Monday flights home, the women rejoined the boats.
Danielle said ‘she didn’t want to let anybody down,’ Michael recalled through tears.
The boat captains opted for different fishing spots. Aboard the Pockets, Michael said he ‘in no way felt in jeopardy, like this wasn’t safe for us to fish in.’
The Pockets returned to the lodge Sunday evening, but the family began worrying when Brandi, Danielle, Maury and Robert didn’t respond to text messages and never arrived for dinner.
The Awakin hadn’t come back, the charter company told Michael, and they lost radio contact with the captain, 32-year-old Morgan.
What happened aboard the Awakin on Sunday remains unclear. Efforts to recover the 30-foot aluminum vessel have been hampered by rough seas and strong winds.
The bodies of Brandi and Danielle were found inside the cabin. Maury’s body was discovered near the boat. Robert and Morgan were still considered missing Thursday.
The boat was last seen Sunday afternoon near Sitka, authorities said, but around 7 pm Sunday was found partially submerged off Low Island, about 10 miles west of Sitka.
Coast Guard investigators are working to determine the timeline and cause of the incident.
The area was experiencing 6-foot to 11-foot waves, a Coast Guard spokesperson said of the tragedy.
Kingfisher Charters declined to respond to questions outside a statement released Wednesday saying the company is ‘devastated by the loss of the guests and captain of the Awakin’ and is fully cooperating with an investigation it hopes ‘furnishes answers to the questions as to how it occurred.’
For the Tyau family, it’s too late – the deaths of Brandi, the reserved middle child who was a calming influence on Robert, and Danielle, the happy-go-lucky baby of the family who was often called ‘Dani,’ has been devastating.
Brandi and Robert leave behind one son together, as well as Robert’s three sons from a previous relationship. Danielle and Maury have two children, one of whom just graduated from high school.
‘I don’t think all eight of us have been together in over 10 years,’ Michael Tyau said.
