Five people were tossed into the cold ocean waters off the coast of Northern California on Saturday when their boat was capsized by a large wave. Four of the passengers on the crabbing boat died, and one person managed to survive by swimming to shore, according to officials.

None of the passengers were wearing a life vest when they were thrown overboard, although they were on the vessel, according to Sgt. Cecile Focha.

"They weren't using them," Focha said. "It's such a tragedy, such a loss."

Another mariner reported the overturned boat near Bodega Bay, which lies nearly 70 miles north of San Francisco.

From accounts that the lone survivor told to rescuers, the five people were returning on the privately owned 32-foot boat, named The Frog, after the opening day of crabbing season.

The man, 66-year-old Philip Sanchez from Bodega Bay, said he somehow managed to swim through the 9-foot swells and clung to sharp rocks along the shoreline until a California Highway Patrol helicopter was able to rescue him. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office helicopter pulled Sanchez out of the waves with a 100-foot line.

"They pulled four unresponsive persons out of the water and identified one person that was responsive on Bodega Rock itself," U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Aaron Bretz said. "We called for multiple agencies to help us out."

Sanchez only sustained minor scrapes during the incident and was very cold from the 59-degree water, as he was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, according to Focha.

Bretz said there was a small craft advisory in place for the area when The Frog capsized.

"This is not protected water," Bretz said. "The water temperature is very cold. This is where you need to have your life jacket on, and you need to understand what kind of weather you're getting into and be extremely careful."