A 50-year-old man was presumed to be dead after his kayak tipped over near Pier 80 in San Francisco Sunday afternoon.
The coast guard was still searching for Thomas Gregoire as of 10 p.m. Sunday night.
The man and his friends launched off from a dock Sunday morning to celebrate the Gregoire's recovery from throat cancer.
Friends of the missing man towed his kayak to shore, somewhat dazed by how quickly their idyllic afternoon had changed.
"This is a freak accident," Barnes said. "Total flat water calm."
Bo Barnes said the three had been kayaking all afternoon and were 200 yards from shore when a tugboat escorting a tanker ship passed by the group creating a wake near pier 80 around 2:40 p.m.
"So coming up the creek it passed us this way and me and Alena went through it and when I turned around to see how he was his boat was already over," Barnes said.
When the kayaker did not surface, the tugboat pilot called for help.
The coast guard, San Francisco police and fire started to search by boat and from the air.
The coast is taking the lead on the investigation and is starting to interview witnesses who were on the water at the time of the man's disappearance.
Friend Alena Subertova, who started kayaking six months ago, told KTVU the water turbulence wasn't unmanageable.
"It wasn't really hard and what I know is Tom had more experience than I do," Subertova said.
Bo Barnes said Gregoire had years of experience on the water, but took some time off to beat cancer.
"he did beat the cancer," Subertova said. "He was high on life."
Friends said they're not giving up hope that their friend has survived because he's had a history of beating the odds.
Gregoire was wearing a red shirt and a blue vest when he entered the water, Leahey said.
A joint search was conducted Sunday afternoon by the San Francisco Fire and Police departments and the Coast Guard, involving a helicopter, boats and divers.
Assistant Fire Chief Dave Franklin said the fire department pulled its divers from the water after several hours of searching because the search became a "recovery operation." Based on the time lapsed since the incident and the circumstances under which Gregoire disappeared, Franklin said it was unlikely he was still alive.
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Kayaker lost in water near Pier 80 presumed dead
From KTVU.com
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