By Aaron Morrison
STAFF WRITER
Article Last Updated: 10/05/2008 11:38:38 PM PDT

PRINCETON BY THE SEA — Two of four fishermen died Sunday after a boating accident near a famous big-wave surf spot near Half Moon Bay.

San Mateo County Sheriff’s Lt. Ray Lunny said the two fishermen, whose identities have not been released, died at Seton Medical Center in Daly City after a rescue near Mavericks notorious break.
The other two fishers are recovering at the hospital. Their identities have not been released either.
Around 12:30 p.m., rescue officers responded to reports of a 20-foot fishing boat that had capsized off the coast of Princeton by the Sea, an unincorportated part of San Mateo County.

An unidentified fishing boat rescued one man, who was still conscious. The other three, unconscious, were picked up by harbor master personnel on personal watercraft, Lunny said.
The overturned vessel was towed to Princeton by the Sea Harbor.

“The seas were pretty rough out there,” Lunny said.
Sunday’s weather forecast predicted partly cloudy skies, with winds at 5 to 10 mph. It is unclear if weather conditions contributed to the incident.

The events are still under investigation, Lunny said.
Tom Mattusch, owner of the Huli Cat fishing boat, had been working at the harbor for most of the day and overheard news of the rescue on his radio.

Earlier in the day, Mattusch walked his dogs and noticed big swells in the area where the fishers’s boat capsized.
“We heard reports of the swells and
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we chose not to go out,” Mattusch said.