A Promising Life at Sea

Kai Jamal Hamik, born on December 28, 1987, was a 29-year-old fisherman from Chandler, Arizona. Known for his adventurous spirit and deep love for the ocean, Kai was drawn to the challenges and camaraderie of commercial fishing. His girlfriend, Amanda Hawkins, described him as "sweet and caring and funny," noting that the sea always called to him. In early 2017, Kai joined the crew of the F/V Destination, a 110-foot Seattle-based crab fishing vessel, to participate in the lucrative and demanding Bering Sea crab season.

The Fateful Voyage

In February 2017, the F/V Destination set sail from Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, with six men aboard: Captain Jeffrey Hathaway and crew members Kai Hamik, Charles "Glenn" Jones, Lawrence "Larry" O'Grady, Darrik Seibold, and Raymond Vincler. The vessel was heavily loaded, carrying an extra 10,000 pounds of bait for their crab pots. By the early morning of February 11, the Destination had reached the southern shore of St. George Island in the Bering Sea. At 6:14 a.m., the ship's Automatic Identification System stopped transmitting, and a minute later, the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon was activated, signaling distress....Read More