Pacifica runs aground in Mission Beach; more than one dozen passengers rescued

Captain of sportfishing boat, which came ashore after returning from fishing trip, was the same one who helmed 'Prowler' in October 2018 crash with 'Attessa IV.'

SAN DIEGO—The captain who helmed the sportfishing boat involved with an open sea collision with a 332-foot superyacht in October 2018 was the same person who skippered a sportfisher that grounded ashore in Mission Beach on June 28, according to news reports.

Capt. Andrew Viola was at the helm of Pacifica, which beached just north of Downtown San Diego, just before the final weekend of June.

San Diego’s Fox5 reported Pacifica was returning from a fishing trip in Mexico when it crashed onto the shores of Mission Beach during the early morning hours of June 28. There were reportedly 21 people aboard, with 15 passengers rescued off the boat by local lifeguards. The crew remained on board, according to news reports.

Little to no additional information is available about the boat’s grounding.

Pacifica is a 65-foot sportfishing vessel owned by Viola, Drew Card and Markus Medak. It was built in 1978 and has a maximum capacity of 32 people. The vessel’s home is Seaforth Sportfishing, which is located at Mission Beach (1717 Quivira Road in San Diego).

The most recent fishing report had Pacifica returning from a 1.5-day trip on June 26, with 12 anglers aboard. The fish count for that trip: 18 yellowtails, nine bluefin and one yellowfin.

An overnight trip coming back to shore on June 24 had 30 anglers aboard; the anglers caught 21 yellowtails and 20 Pacific bonito.

Viola, as noted above, was the captain of Prowler when it collided with Attessa IV in October 2018. The U.S. Coast Guard’s investigation of the collision, which occurred 9 miles off the coast of Imperial Beach, is still ongoing. At least one person died as a result of the collision.

Additional reporting on this story will be published in the July 12 issue of The Log.

3 thoughts on “Pacifica runs aground in Mission Beach; more than one dozen passengers rescued

  • June 28, 2019 at 6:06 pm
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    This captain ( in name only ) should have his license revoked.

    Reply
  • June 29, 2019 at 12:37 pm
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    GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT BEFORE YOU POST YOUR BULLSHIT REPORT ON THE INTERNET

    Reply
  • June 30, 2019 at 9:24 pm
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    I understand the intro paragraph and conclusion are engagement statements to grab the reader’s attention. However, this article is not about, nor should it ever be discussed upon in mindless babble about the incident that occurred last October. This writer, editor, and The Log should feel embarrassed for publishing a disgraceful article such as this one. Terrible intent, terrible writing.

    P.S. the plural for “yellowtail” is yellowtail.

    Sincerely,
    -the joker

    Reply

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