Coast Guard searching for potential boat in distress in the Santa Barbara Channel

CHANNEL ISLANDS, Calif. (KEYT) – The U.S. Coast Guard is actively searching for a reported boat in distress in the Santa Barbara Channel Thursday.

An alert community member spotted a boat in distress while onshore north of Ventura near Dulah and called dispatchers around 11:39 a.m. Thursday shared the U.S. Coast Guard with Your News Channel.

A Coast Guard response vessel was launched from Channel Islands and is joined by air assets from Ventura noted the U.S. Coast Guard.

A Ventura County Sheriff's helicopter and Ventura County Fire Department personnel onshore were part of the initial search, but were called off a few hours into the search detailed the U.S. Coast Guard.

This is an evolving emergency maritime response and more information will be added to this article as it becomes available.