Giant surf fills into Surfrider Beach in Malibu Tuesday evening. Photo: LA County Lifeguard and Fire Department
An unconscious surfer was pulled from the water near Surfrider Beach in Malibu today around 11 AM, according to a report by NBC Los Angeles. The man was reportedly in his 50s and surfing by the Malibu Pier before his body was recovered and pronounced dead by the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.
“He was found unconscious,” Los Angeles County Lifeguard Captain Tim McNaulty told NBC. “I don’t know if he suffered some sort of trauma or had some kind of medical issue.”
The man’s identity has not yet been released by authorities.
The fatality occurred as Hurricane Marie, once a category 5 storm with winds over 160 mph (since downgraded), delivered powerful pulses of swell energy to Southern California beaches. Malibu, in particular, acts as a magnet for south swell, and the surf reached heights several feet overhead on Tuesday evening.
Los Angeles County Lifeguard and Fire Department also announced the closure of the Malibu Pier today after high surf knocked one of its pilings loose. The high surf advisory is in effect as of 10 a.m. today through 6 p.m. Friday.
“If you’re not extremely experienced, you don’t want to be surfing,” Captain Eric Howell of the Fire Department’s Lifeguard Division told KTLA.
When getting waves this week, be safe and look out for each other.
