Dad drowns in jet ski accident on family trip to Lake Tahoe

A father of four and popular football coach from California drowned after he and his wife were knocked off their jet skis during his family’s first trip to Lake Tahoe.

Bill Siu and his wife were vacationing with their kids — Kanoah, Melana, Ziggy, and Rico — when waves and strong winds flung them off the watercraft on Saturday, SFGate reported.

“We kind of got separated, and all I knew was I had to get to him,” Alexie Siu told the news outlet. “I could see him kind of panicking.”

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office said it responded to the east shore of Lake Tahoe at about 4:10 p.m. and transported the unresponsive man to a hospital in Sand Harbor, where he was pronounced dead.

The incident is being investigated as an accidental drowning, officials said.

Bill’s grieving widow described him ​as a “family man” who loved coaching and bringing people together.

“Everyone that I’ve talked to always says that he always had a smile on his face,” Alexie told SFGate. “That’s how much he’s made connections within the community.”

Bill ​coached the Clayton Valley Eagles, a football team his son Kanoah played on that won the league’s championship in 2022, according to a GoFundMe page set up for the family.  

“A Raider fan through and through, his booming black and silver truck represented his colors,” fundraiser organizer Valerie Francisco wrote.

“Bill was a coach at P2P Transformation Center in Concord, where he shared his love of fitness, impacting the lives of hundreds of people’s journey’s towards the health goals,” she wrote.

“Bill loved reggae music and taking trips to bring his family to see new sights. Bill loved learning about new ideas, skills, and sports,” Francisco added.

P2P Transformation Center shared a statement on Bill’s work.

“Bill Siu started at P2P in support of his beautiful wife Alexie, not long after he was a member did we approach him about becoming a coach with us,” it told KRON4.

“Bill dedicated his love and passion for coaching to the P2P community. He was a kind and gentle man who had a heart of gold but he always knew how to push and motivate people to be their best,” it added.

The GoFundMe page raised more than $72,500 as of Thursday morning.

Alexie said the family owns a salon, but they recently downsized it.