Agoura Man, Son Rescued After Capsizing at Pyramid Lake

Alexander Vasilyez, 60, a former Ukranian opera singer, gave sheriff’s deputies a rendition of God Bless America to show his appreciation after he and his son, Stan, 29, were rescued from a dam in Pyramid Lake on Wednesday night.

The Agoura residents took a 10-foot pontoon boat into the lake on Wednesday afternoon for a day of fishing, said Stan Vasilyez.

“When we first went out, the day was calm,” the younger Vasilyez told Patch. “Then at about 3:30, the winds began to whip up.”

As the men started to head back to shore, a giant wave washed the two overboard, said Vasilyez. They awaited rescue for approximately 90 minutes in chilly waters as they clung to their small boat, which was caught against a dam spillway, he said.

A concessionaire at Pyramid Lake reported the two missing at about 5 p.m., but the rescue was hampered by winds that had risen to 65-70 miles an hour with five-foot swells on the lake, according to a press release issued by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

“We never thought we wouldn’t be rescued,” said Stan Vasilyez. “We remained calm the whole time.”

Authorities were unable to find the men by helicopter because of 90-mph winds at flying altitude, the Sheriff's Department release said. When finally located, the deputies could not reach the men by boat because of cables and buoys that blocked larger boats from getting too close to the dam, according to the release.

The boat deputies gave instructions to the two men over a public address system while other deputies made their way to the men on foot, said the release. Finally, the men were guided to a safe exit from the water onto dry land.

Both men were treated for mild hypothermia but reportedly suffered no further injuries. According to Stan Vasilyez, his father was so grateful to be rescued that he broke into song, giving the rescuers their own personal performance.

The men have since returned to Agoura Hills. “I do plan to return to the lake,” said Vasilyez. “But I will definitely be more prepared.”