Pacific Palisades resident Frederick Talmage III, 59, died Friday from an apparent heart attack after falling overboard from a chartered fishing boat nine miles off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Talmage, who went to Baja California Sur on a solo fishing trip, was attempting to reel in a large striped marlin when he was slipped over the side of the boat, said Eric Brictson, co-owner of Gordo Banks Pangas.
This big fish can “run up to 120 pounds,” said Brictson, whose company chartered the boat to Talmage. At first, after Talmage hooked the marlin, everything was fine, Brictson told the Palisadian-Post.
“He had the marlin on the line, but then 15 minutes into the battle he [stood and] slipped,” and the top half of his body went overboard, Brictson said. The skipper, who was the only other person on the boat, attempted to grab Talmage by his waistband but couldn’t pull him back in. He “took in some seawater,” but seemed okay, according to Brictson.
In the water, Talmage was given a life vest and held onto the boat’s railing while the skipper attempted to pull him in. Unable to do so alone, the skipper radioed in help from nearby fishermen.
“He must have been about 6’ 4” [tall] and weighed about 280 pounds,” Brictson said. “The skipper weighs about 140 pounds.”
After about 10 to 15 minutes, Talmage went limp in the water before help could arrive and “all the skipper could do was make sure his head stayed above water,” Brictson said.
By the time the fishermen arrived, Talmage had slipped into deeper unconsciousness but the local men were able to pull him into the boat. When they made landfall, Talmage had already died.
“I’ve done 20,000 charters like this with no incident,” Brictson said.
On Monday, Talmage’s father, Frederick Talmage Jr., told the Post that his son suffered from diabetes and had heart complications. Talmage III, a 1970 graduate of Palisades High, had been living with his parents because of his illness.
He started fishing several years ago when he “became too incapacitated to surf,” said Talmage Jr., adding that he had conversations with his son about his health condition. A portion of his right foot had been amputated because of complications from diabetes.
“I warned him to not go on this trip, but he loved the ocean. I know he was very happy on this trip,” Talmage Jr. said. “He joked with me before he left and said ‘Maybe I’ll get lucky and die on this trip.’
“I know he was doing something he loved,” his father said.
While growing up in the Palisades, Talmage III attended Palisades Elementary and Palisades High. He studied at the University of Hawaii and worked as a sound technician in the film industry.
In addition to his father, Talmage is survived by his mother, Ruth Talmage; his sister, Tammy Almquist; four nieces and two nephews.
The family has asked for privacy and will not be holding a public memorial.
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