A man and his dog were rescued on March 21, 2026, after their kayak overturned on Tomales Bay, in Marin County, California. His girlfriend, now identified as Brigitte Manspeaker, 37, drowned after slipping out of her personal floatation device (PFD), the man reported to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
Rescue on Tomales Bay, Marin County
Rescue crews responded 12 minutes after the Marin County Fire Department relayed reports of two people in the water. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office reported that the rescue crew found the man and dog holding the overturned kayak, and conditions during the rescue were high winds and three-foot swells. The man was later treated for hypothermia. The dog was also recovered safely.
An aerial search ensued and the helicopters located Manspeaker face down and 200 yards from the kayak. She was then brought to shore and received CPR until paramedics arrived and later pronounced her dead.
“Brigitte loved being in nature and respecting the earth,” wrote friend Barbara Ngai in a GoFundMe organized for Manspeaker’s mother. “Whether she was hiking a new trail, swimming in open water, or traveling to a place she’d never been before, she would be sure to honor her surroundings and show gratitude wherever she was.”
The man reportedly told rescuers that his girlfriend slipped out of her PFD and sank into the water. The man, who was rescued, is not seen to be wearing a PFD in the video.
A commenter on the Sonoma County Sheriff’s rescue video shared that her 12-year-old daughter spotted the couple in the water, and she called the emergency in, triggering the rescue. The helicopter was on the scene within 12 minutes of the call. The commenter also wrote that the couple was southwest of Marshall Beach, and drifted quite a distance in the time after she called in the emergency, sharing that she watched the woman lose hold of the kayak and drift further.
Conditions on Tomales Bay
Average water temperature in Tomales Bay in March is around 52 degrees Fahrenheit, or cold enough to result in loss of dexterity which can lead to difficulties self-rescuing or swimming in just 10 minutes. For reference, surfers submerged in these water temperatures wear wetsuits from four to five millimeters thick. For paddling in these conditions, immersion gear including a drysuit with warm layers beneath it or a wetsuit is recommended.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office reported that conditions during the rescue were three-foot swells, or just above head height for the average person sitting in a kayak.
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Tomales Bay is also subject to tidal currents, with the entrance to the bay seeing spring tide currents run up to six knots; the average beginner/recreational kayaker can paddle at about two to three knots. When tidal currents and wind are at play simultaneously, further hazards arise; if wind blows against the current, waves steepen, causing an additional hazard for kayakers.
While Tomales Bay is generally protected from the open ocean, the bay is 15 miles (24 kilometers) long and just under a mile wide (2 kilometers) with highlands on either side. These conditions can cause wind to funnel down the bay, particularly when winds blow from the northwest, with winds often increasing in the afternoon.
While we don’t know exactly how Manspeaker slipped out of her PFD, the incident nonetheless emphasizes the importance of wearing a properly fitted and secured PFD.
Also seen in the Sonoma County Sheriff’s rescue video, the man’s kayak was partially flooded, likely making a self-rescue more challenging.
Kayaks with bulkheads, or sealed pockets of air at the bow and stern (front and back), allow the kayak to float even when the cockpit becomes swamped, making it easier for a paddler to self-rescue back into the kayak and continue to paddle, or in the worst case scenario, cling to the floating kayak until help arrives without fear of the boat sinking out from under them.
Editor’s Note: Paddling Magazine reached out to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office for confirmation on the type of paddlecraft used and received the report that a longline rescue of two boaters was conducted in Tomales Bay with one boater pronounced deceased. No further details were provided.
I do not wear my PFD “tight-fitting” because it restricts my breathing. But, I DO have crotch straps on my PFD so that it CANNOT come off of me and it remains in place when I swim! I wear an MTI Headwater with 26 lbs. 5 oz. of flotation, and loops for attaching crotch straps. Since I started wearing this PFD in 2014, I have not been underwater for more than perhaps 4-5 seconds before being on the surface. It is comfortable and does not restrict my single blade paddle strokes. It zips up the front and has a waist strap. And it will float a 395 pound person (more than twice my weight.)
I frequently see people on rafts or in other boats without PFDs. And almost never do I see people checking for proper fitting on themselves or others, even within the whitewater community. I wear mine even when on flatwater or shallow rivers, because it will do me no good attached to my boat, which floats just fine on its own. The life I save may be my own! I live by the 6P Rule – Prior Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance.