Reports from two witnesses of a windsurfer off of First Street in Manhattan Beach, struggling in 10-foot swells and winds gusting at 40 miles per hour, led to a two-hour search by Los Angeles County lifeguards on Sunday morning.
Since the guards did not find evidence of the windsurfer, it’s likely that he exited the water himself and left without people noticing, said Los Angeles County Lifeguard Section Chief Terry Yamamoto.
“Yeah, the surf was strong yesterday, but windsurfers always go out in windy conditions,” Yamamoto said. “If his equipment washed in, which it would have yesterday, with no one attached to it, then we would have an issue.”
The search team surveyed the area with helicopters and boats. “We pretty much canvassed the area to the point of complete saturation,” Yamamoto said.
The team even did floating tests to see where the person would have drifted. In addition, no one was reported missing, Yamamoto said.
That morning, Manhattan Beach resident Pat Reardon, a long time surfer and surfboard builder, said he was standing on the Strand wall at First Street when he saw a windsurfer, approximately 300 yards off shore, trying to raise a blue and white sail.
“He was getting worked. He would get to his feet, but then the wind would slam the sail down. It was making a splash like a whale’s fluke,” Reardon said.
“A woman was walking by with her two dogs, and I said to her, ‘Do you see that guy?’ She said, ‘Oh my God, what’s he doing out there?’”
“There were no breaks between the swells. It was white-capping hard and there were some big rogue waves. He kept trying to lift the sail and I’m counting to myself, ‘There’s one try. He’s down. That’s two tries, he’s down again.’ I counted five tries, and then he disappeared.”
“The lady said, ‘Should I call 911?’ and I said, ‘Yeah.’ Then I ran to the First Street lifeguard tower so I could get up high enough to look for him. The wind was blowing out of the northwest, so I looked south, but I never saw him again.”
“The lifeguards were quick. Terry Yamamoto showed up in a white lifeguard truck and Tyler Morgan and Cosmo Flynn were out there on PWCs (personal water craft). Baywatch Redondo and Baywatch Marina Del Rey also showed up.”
Reardon said he is certain he saw a windsurfer and is hopeful the swells and onshore winds brought him safely to shore.
Matt Sweeting, a kiteboarding and wind surfing instructor who taught in the South Bay until moving to Hood River, Oregon a year ago, said Sunday’s conditions were rideable, but would have been challenging, even for top pros.
“The problem in Manhattan is getting out through the surf. With a kite, you can jump the waves, but a windsurfer who gets hit by a wave will be separated from his gear.
“Once a windsurfer is up, he’s fine. If you fall, you can do a water start, but they are exhausting. I’d carry a knife to cut the lines because things can go wrong in a hurry.”
Sweeting recalled kite surfing in Manhattan on a day like Sunday and being bounced off the bottom when a big wave broke on him.
“I was done for the day,” he said. “You have to know your limits.”
