A recreational fishing trip off Sitka Sound ended in multiple fatalities and one person still missing. On May 28, 2023, 61-year-old Robert Solis of Canoga Park, California, was aboard the 30-foot charter vessel F/V Awakin with his partner Brandi Tyau, her sister Danielle Agcaoili, Danielle’s husband Maury Agcaoili, and the captain, Morgan Robidou. The boat failed to return to the Kingfisher Lodge and was found partially submerged near Low Island, roughly 10 miles west of Sitka, in rough seas with six to eleven foot waves.

Maury Agcaoili’s body was recovered from the water the evening of May 28 and pronounced deceased. Danielle Agcaoili and Brandi Tyau were recovered from the vessel’s cabin on May 31, and the captain Morgan Robidou was recovered on June 8. The U.S. Coast Guard conducted an 825 square mile search over more than 20 hours but Robert Solis remained missing; search efforts were later suspended and moved to a reactive status.

A Coast Guard investigation concluded the likely cause was sudden flooding of the Awakin’s well deck by a large swell, with the boat’s position in shallow water near Low Island at low tide increasing vulnerability to breaking surf. Investigators suggested the captain may have been swept overboard early in the incident, leaving passengers in a dire situation. If anyone has information about Robert Solis’s disappearance or the events that night, please come forward.