Wesly Goldenhar. Love to the family and friends. Photo: Facebook.
Yesterday, Wesly Goldenhar died surfing at 20th Street in Huntington Beach after he fell on a wave. He was 46-years-old, and leaves behind a wife and young son.
Goldenhar, known as Woody to his friends, was originally from Anaheim, but relocated to Huntington Beach. The accident occurred around 9:30 am when, according to reports, he went over the falls and hit his head on his board. Surfers in the water attempted a rescue before lifeguards were on the scene. Lt. Greg Crow of the Huntington Beach Marine Safety Division said that when lifeguards arrived, they found him unresponsive. He was then taken to Hoag Memorial in Huntington Beach by paramedicswhere he was pronounced dead at 10:40, according to the Orange County Coroner.
“I’d just put my board in the sand and was putting on my wetsuit when I saw a guy go over the falls and hit his head on his board,” Sean Slajer, and employee at Sakal Surf Shop, told Surfline. “I could hear it from the beach and knew right away it was bad, but had no idea how bad.” After the fall, Goldenhar failed to resurface. “His board came up, but he didn’t,” Slajer continued. “Eventually his body floated up. He was face down and unresponsive. A nearby surfer tried to rescue him, and that’s when my buddy and I jumped in the water to help. We got him to the beach and began CPR while we waited for backup.”
Our prayers go out to the family and friends of Woody in this difficult time.
