Kayak fishing enthusiast and influencer Mikey Rijavec had been missing since November 11 when his body was recovered from the water near San Cristobal, according to an update on GoFundMe from Gregory Rijavec, Mikey’s brother.
After five days missing off the coast of Bahía Asunción, Mexico, body of kayak fishing influencer Mikey Rijavec found
Mikey had issued a mayday call while eight miles off the coast of Bahía Asunción, Mexico, around three in the afternoon. Through the distress call Mikey reached local fishermen and reported engine trouble including that his motor dislodged and his Solo Skiff, a six horsepower all-in-one fishing kayak, skiff and standup paddleboard, had flipped, Gregory shared in the GoFundMe update.
Mikey had gotten the skiff upright and started paddling, but the boat had taken on water. The distress call was weak and unclear but the local fisherman who heard it responded immediately, beginning a search and alerting both US and Mexican authorities.
Overall, the search spanned five days and concluded on Saturday, November 15. Mikey’s boat was recovered five miles offshore without its outboard engine. On Monday, November 17, Gregory shared that Mikey’s body had been recovered earlier that day.
“It is time for the countless involved in the search for Mikey to finally rest and begin to find peace. Mikey’s body was found in the water near San Cristobal earlier today,” wrote Gregory in an update on GoFundMe. “As difficult as it is to accept this, we are grateful that it provides us some closure.”
“This still leaves us with a lot of questions we may never have the answers to,” shared Gregory. “We wanted to share this information to help provide some closure, but it does not change what happened or could have happened, and speculation robs us of what is important.”
Remembering Mikey Rijavec
Mikey was well known for his YouTube channel, SD Fish and Sips, and lived in San Diego.
“I’m heartbroken over Mikey’s passing,” wrote fellow YouTuber, Adventures with Oside Kayak Guy, in an in memoriam video. “He had this rare ability to make people feel seen, valued, and energized whether in person, over the phone, or even through his YouTube videos.”
“I love the experiences I have during my fishing adventures and am thankful to be able to document and share them with all,” Mikey wrote in the YouTube description of his channel before his passing. “I have dreams of learning how to sail and traveling the world with the Solo Skiff on the back of a giant sailboat to catch fish, meet people, experience life and spread my positive energy so that I make everyone I come in contact with better.”
Mikey Rijavec poses with a fish. Feature Image: Gregory Rijavec | GoFundMe
