Two friends were found dead in California's Tomales Bay after setting off by canoe around midnight to witness the area's seasonal bioluminescence. The men, who have not been named, failed to return as planned and were discovered on Sunday afternoon, with one found in the water and the other on the shore near Hog Island. The circumstances of their deaths remain unclear, and authorities are investigating in a location known for treacherous conditions.

Both men were wearing life jackets when they were found, and had reportedly intended to camp at White Gulch Beach on the bay's western shore. Tomales Bay, in Marin County, is notorious for its cold water, hazardous sandbar and strong afternoon winds, and the Sonoma and Marin County Sheriff's Offices are leading the inquiry. The bioluminescence they had gone to see, caused by agitated algae organisms called dinoflagellates emitting a chemical glow, occurs annually in the bay between June and October.