Fishing Influencer Found Dead Several Days After Issuing Mayday Call, Family Says

NEED TO KNOW

• Mikey Rijavec, a fishing influencer known for his YouTube channel SD Fish and Sips, has been found dead, five days after he went missing while fishing off the coast of Baja California, Mexico

• The creator’s body was recovered on Sunday, Nov. 16, per an update by his brother Gregory on a GoFundMe opened to raise money for search efforts

• “As we begin to process and reflect on what has happened over the last several days, it is clear what was at the core of the search for Mikey: love,” wrote Gregory in his GoFundMe update

Mikey Rijavec, a fishing influencer known for his YouTube channel SD Fish and Sips, has died.

Five days after the internet personality issued a mayday call while fishing off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, Rijavec’s body was recovered on Sunday, Nov. 16, per an update by his brother Gregory on a GoFundMe opened to raise money for search efforts.

“It is time for the countless people involved in the search for Mikey to finally rest and begin to find peace,” read the update. “Mikey’s body was found in the water near San Cristobal earlier today. As difficult as it is to accept this, we are grateful that it provides us some closure.”

On Nov. 11, Mikey was fishing eight miles from the coast when he issued a mayday call reporting engine trouble, though the call was abruptly disrupted, according to NBC News. The outlet reported that his boat, a 14-foot skiff, was recovered five miles off the coast, but the six-horsepower outboard engine was not.

The ensuing five-day search included the U.S. Coast Guard, Mexican Navy, dozens of local boats, private planes, and ground crews, co-led by Mexican authorities and Mikey’s family.

“As we begin to process and reflect on what has happened over the last several days, it is clear what was at the core of the search for Mikey: love,” wrote Gregory in his GoFundMe update. “Everyone poured everything into finding Mikey, because whether they knew him or not, they knew a son, a brother, a friend, a fisherman, a fellow human needed help. Everyone has been extremely selfless during this time, and selflessness is one of the greatest acts of love. We were united in the search and we are united in love.”

Continued Gregory in his tribute to his late brother: “Mikey was mindful and present every day, and that allowed him to live a longer life than can be measured on a calendar. His mission was to spread his positive energy and make every person he came in contact with better, and he did. Mikey prepared us to deal with this, and if we live by his example we will not only be OK, we will be better.”

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Phil Friedman, a close friend of Rijavec’s, also mourned his death in a post on Facebook. “Mikey brought so much joy, laughter, and passion to the fishing community, and his absence leaves a huge void,” he captioned the post. “Please keep his family, loved ones, and everyone who knew him in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time. Rest easy, brother.”

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