iStockphoto / Nikkolia / Ekaterina Chizhevskaya
Surfboard laying on the sand in Oceanside, California next to rocks protecting the shore
A surfer in Southern California is lucky to be alive after they were knocked unconscious by a wave which threw them into rocks on the shore. At the time, a woman was filming the waves and happened to capture the exact moment the surfer was knocked out after slamming into the rocks.
Benita Caro knew something was wrong immediately as the surfer floated face down in the water and that is when she sprung into action.
San Diego Surfer Knocked Unconscious After Wave Slammed Them Into Rocks Rescued By Woman Passing by (Video)
Caro spoke with local news about how everything transpired. The surfer was exiting the water at Oceanside Beach in northern San Diego County between rocks protecting the shoreline when a wave clobbered them from behind. It threw them directly into the rocks and they were immediately unconscious.
By some sort of miracle, this woman passing by was filming the waves and captured the entire chain of events on video. Local ABC 10 News spoke with her following the rescue which ultimately saved the man’s life as he was face down in the water and would have drowned for certain without someone stepping in to rescue him:
The video can also be seen on YouTube here if the ABC10 clip isn’t loading for you.
The simplest advice here would be ‘always remain vigilant’ but life is not as black-and-white as that. When exiting the water after a surf session you are tired, thirsty, ready to warm up and get a hot meal. Though the water is historically warm right now in SoCal due to the record-setting ‘Super’ El Niño. Even still, going back to shore after surfing can be tiring and it is easy to lose track of one’s surroundings.
That is evidently a dangerous exit with the rocks and the waves coming in at what appears to be a ~45-degree angle to the rocks themselves. Is it worth wearing a helmet? Perhaps. Surfers wear them when riding giants but not necessarily on a day like that. Even still, it might have prevented the surfer from being knocked out unconscious and left face down in the water.