Federal investigators are piecing together more details about the Lake Tahoe boating accident that killed eight vacationers during a fast-moving storm in June, according to a preliminary report published Wednesday.
None of the victims who died were wearing life jackets when the vessel capsized as 8-foot waves crashed along Tahoe’s west shore that afternoon, the National Transportation Safety Board found.
Two survivors were rescued from the water. According to the agency’s report, one of them was wearing a flotation device, and the other was clinging to one.
Terry Pickles, 73, had taken his boat, named Over the Moon, out on the lake on June 21 during a weekend celebrating the 71st birthday of his wife, Paula Bozinovich. The couple from Redwood City were joined by their son, Josh Pickles, 37, a San Francisco-based DoorDash executive, along with family and friends from around Northern California and upstate New York.
The powerboat launched from Tahoe City midmorning with four boaters aboard and traveled to two marinas nearby, according to the NTSB report. At the second, it picked up six more passengers.
Once all 10 passengers had boarded the 28-foot-long Chris-Craft vessel, built in 2023, the group traveled about 10 nautical miles south along the west shore of the lake to Emerald Bay, an outcove at the southwest tip of the lake known for its blue-green waters and breathtaking views.
The NTSB found that the boat anchored in the area for more than an hour in the early afternoon, enjoying fairly mild weather conditions — “clear skies, light southerly winds, and an air temperature of 54°F.”
The report notes that local forecasts for the day had predicted a slight chance of thunderstorms, but the National Weather Service hadn’t issued any marine warnings.
Around 2 p.m., though, clouds began to roll into the area and wind speeds increased.
The NTSB found that Terry Pickles decided to return to the marina where he’d picked up passengers that morning, but turned back to Emerald Bay shortly after, stopped by increasingly strong winds, rain and waves.
About 10 minutes later, the report said he made another attempt to leave the inlet.
A survivor told NTSB investigators that as the boat made its way north from Emerald Bay, 2- to 3-foot waves hit against the sides of Over the Moon, and marble-sized hail began collecting on the deck.
As whitecaps increased, rising to 8 to 10 feet, “she recalled that a few of these waves broke over the sides and bow, and about an inch of water accumulated on the boat deck,” the report said.
Just before 3 p.m., nearby winds reached about 40 mph and snow began to fall.
Around that time, as Over the Moon sat 50 to 100 yards from shore, its engine stopped and it shifted sideways, parallel to the waves. Some of the passengers tried to bail out the water as a large wave crashed over the boat, bringing on more water.
At this point, one of the survivors put on a personal flotation device and passed out others to the rest of the group, though none of the others immediately put them on. Shortly after, the report said, the boat rolled over, dumping the passengers into the lake.
According to the report, no distress calls were made from the water.
A group of nearby hikers saw Over the Moon capsize and called 911 just before 3 p.m. As the local sheriff’s department and other agencies responded, another hiker and a California State Parks lifeguard helped the two survivors using flotation devices out of the water.
“Six of the recovered people (one of whom was the operator) were pronounced deceased on scene, some following CPR efforts,” the report reads. “None of the six were wearing [personal flotation devices].”
The bodies of the other two boaters were recovered at the bottom of the lake in the area near the accident the following day, along with four personal flotation devices and a life ring.
Toxicology tests conducted on the victims are pending results, according to the NTSB.
The microburst storm, which weather experts say rolled in quickly and spurred winds and waves that picked up speed as they spread south across the lake, cleared not long after. Snow stopped just after 4 p.m., and the area was covered in cloudless skies by 5:30 p.m.
The investigation of what the U.S. Coast Guard has declared a “major marine casualty” is ongoing, and the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a parallel investigation.
This story originally published on KQED’s website on July 23, 2025.