The father of Spanish champion surfer Guillermo Alonso died Wednesday while surfing with his son, officials say. Photo: La Nueva España
A 59-year-old surfer was pronounced dead on Wednesday at a beach in Northern Spain after numerous unsuccessful attempts to revive him, according to La Nueva España. The man was reportedly surfing with his son, acclaimed Spanish surfer Guillermo Alonso, at Santa Marina beach in Asturias, when something went wrong – the details of which are still unclear. Alonso rushed his father to shore.
Officials report that they were notified at 5:50pm local time that a man was having difficulty getting out of the water. By the time they arrived Guillermo Alonso had already gotten his father to the sand. Paramedics attempted to revive Alonso’s father to no avail.
The news is tragic. Guillermo Alonso has been a local hero in the surf scene in Northern Spain for some time. In 2012, Alonso won the first season of the Spanish surf talent show “Cracks del Surf“, and was named Spanish surfing champion and runner-up for Europe on numerous occasions. He now operates a surf camp (Santa Marina Surf Camp), endowing his love for the ocean and wave knowledge principally to locals. According to SMS’ Facebook page, one of the main objectives of the camp is to, “create a place for local surfers that becomes recognized by the surf world both nationally and internationally, and that surfers can demonstrate the potential of local waves wherever they go.”
Alonso credits his father for introducing him to surfing at a young age. In an interview with asturias.surf, Alonso explained of his surfing origin story, “Having the beach right next to the house and a father that surfed, it was only a matter of time.”
Our thoughts are with Guillermo Alonso’s family and friends in light of this tragedy.
