A California man who died after a boat crashed in the San Francisco Bay has been identified as a 35-year-old married Apple engineer and father of three.

A fishing vessel with three people on board struck rocks and capsized by the Golden Gate Bridge's north tower shortly after 6am on Thursday, according to the Marin County Sheriff's Office. 

Daniel Zhengyu Qin was later named by the Marin County Coroner as the sole fatal victim of the crash.

All three people aboard the vessel sustained life-threatening injuries but were recovered alive after multiple agencies responded to a 911 call. 

They were transported to a local hospital, but Qin succumbed to his injuries 'despite prolonged resuscitative efforts,' the sheriff's office said. 

An online fundraiser organized to support Qin's wife, Yao Deng, further identified him as 'a beloved software engineer at Apple, a devoted husband, and a loving father to three young children.' 

The fundraiser, created on Friday by family friend Cathy Wu, described Qin as 'kind, funny, and endlessly generous.' 

Qin had an 11-year-old son and two daughters aged nine and three.

'His sudden passing has left his wife and children facing an unimaginable loss, both emotionally and financially,' Wu wrote.

'He got along effortlessly with his coworkers, his children looked up to him, and his friends adored him. He was always the first to show up when anyone needed help.'

According to public records, Qin and his wife lived in a $1.7 million San Diego home.

The online fundraiser said it is aiming to raise $200,000 for Qin's family, which will 'go toward funeral and memorial expenses, his children's day-to-day living costs, and emergency family expenses in the months ahead.'

It has garnered more than $76,500 as of Monday afternoon. 

The Marin County Sheriff's Office said that the exact cause of the crash that killed Qin remains under investigation.

A forensic post-mortem examination including 'routine toxicology testing' will be completed within the next few days, according to the sheriff's office. 

The exact cause and manner of Qin's death also remain pending while the investigation is ongoing. 

The agencies involved in the response to the crash and rescue efforts included the US Coast Guard, the Southern Marin Fire Protection District, the San Francisco Police Department Marine Unit, the Sausalito Fire Department and the Marin County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit. 

The Coast Guard said in a statement that its crew arrived about five minutes after receiving a distress call about the crash and that it rescued two people from the water, while the San Francisco Police Department rescued a third. 

'Our deepest condolences go out to the family and loved ones of the individual who lost his life,' Captain Jarod Toczko, commander of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco, said in the statement. 

'While our crews and partner agencies worked together to bring all three people to safety, we recognize that this rescue ended in a heartbreaking loss. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.'