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NEED TO KNOW
Authorities are still searching for a popular fishing influencer, Mikey Rijavec, after he issued a mayday call eight miles off the coast on Tuesday, Nov. 11
His boat, a 14-foot skiff, was recovered five miles off the coast, but the six-horsepower outboard engine was not
Rijavec runs the YouTube channel SD Fish and Sips, where he shares his passion for fishing in weekly videos to nearly 20,000 subscribers
Authorities are still searching for a popular fishing influencer days after he was reported missing off the coast of Baja California, a region of Mexico that borders the United States.
Officials said that Mikey Rijavec — who runs the YouTube channel SD Fish and Sips — was fishing eight miles off the coast on Tuesday, Nov. 11, when he issued a mayday call regarding engine trouble, though the call was abruptly ended, NBC News reported.
Per NBC News, Rijavec’s boat, a 14-foot skiff, was recovered five miles off the coast, but the six-horsepower outboard engine was not.
On YouTube, Rijavec shares his passion for fishing in weekly videos to nearly 20,000 subscribers, last uploading a post on Nov. 3.
Mikey Rijavec/Facebook
According to a GoFundMe page started by the influencer’s brother, Gregory Rijavec, to raise money for search efforts, dozens of local boats, private planes, and ground search crews have assisted the Mexican Navy and U.S. Coast Guard in their efforts to find Mikey.
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In a recent update, Gregory said that family members had learned “additional details” about his brother’s disappearance from the Mexican Navy, prompting search efforts to redirect their focus to “combing all local beaches.”
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Mikey Rijavec/Facebook
“What could have happened? Oh my God, it’s endless,” podcaster Phil Friedman, a close friend of Rijavec’s, said in an interview with NBC 7. “It could be foul play. You never know, it’s something that happens at sea sometimes. It could be a whale. It could be a shark.”
Friedman described the missing YouTuber as an “adventurer,” adding that he’s known for how he “pushes the envelope.”
“The outpouring of support really says a lot about Mikey and his impact,” wrote Gregory in the GoFundMe, acknowledging how far the story of his brother’s disappearance has spread on social media. “Thank you for all the love and support. Today and everyday [sic], stay positive.”
