The body of a California fisherman who gained popularity on YouTube for his fishing videos was recovered off the coast of Mexico days after he made a mayday call and disappeared, his family said Sunday.
Mikey Rijavec, creator of the YouTube channel SD Fish and Sips, was found dead in the water near San Cristobal on Sunday, his family wrote in a GoFundMe post.
Rijavec had been fishing off the coast of Baja California on Nov. 11 when he issued a mayday call from his solo skiff at 3 p.m. local time, according to the page.
“As difficult as it is to accept this, we are grateful that it provides us some closure,” his family wrote. “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.”
The family said U.S. and Mexican authorities, along with the local fishing community, rallied to help in the search for Rijavec. The U.S. Coast Guard said the Mexican Navy is handling the case since it is their area of responsibility.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Mexican Navy for comment, but have not yet heard back.
“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,” the family’s post read. “Everyone has been extremely selfless during this time, and selflessness is one of the greatest acts of love.”
His family remembered him as “mindful and present every day,” which 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,” the post read. “Mikey prepared us to deal with this, and if we live by his example we will not only be OK, we will be better.”
