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SOUTH JORDAN — A Utah man, along with four other people, is presumed dead after the Coast Guard called off the search for the capsized fishing vessel Wind Walker on Monday.
Mike Zamantakis said his son, Alex, moved to Sitka, Alaska, four years ago to pursue his fishing dreams.
"He wasn't even supposed to be on this boat," he said. "It's not his regular assignment, but he would go out on other boats as other boats needed people, and they'd fly around on these little bush planes to these different areas to get on these different ships."
His family knew the risks at sea but never imagined the call they received Sunday.
A beacon alert was detected south of Point Couverden in Icy Strait, and the Wind Walker issued a mayday at 12 a.m. as the crew prepared to enter a lifeboat — which was the last communication from the vessel.
"When the boat goes in the water, under the water, it sets off this ping, this beacon," Mike Zamantakis said. "But they've sent a ship out there with sonar, and they can't find it."
While crews battled 6-foot waves, high winds, and heavy snow looking for the fishing vessel, a nearby ferry, the AMHS Hubbard, rerouted to assist with the search.
The Coast Guard later found seven cold-water immersion suits and two strobe lights before suspending the search.
Mike Zamantakis, however, is holding onto hope for the lifeboat he believes his son was on.
Until then, they're focused on the piece of Alex Zamantakis left behind, his son, 6-month-old Alex Junior, and the deep love Alex had for his family.
"I mean, he was just so happy about it," his brother, Jarett Zamantakis, said. "He couldn't believe that he was a dad."
Anyone with new information about the incident should contact Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska at 907-463-2980.
