A 26-year-old surfer was rescued after being swept away from shore by powerful high surf off Haskell’s Beach early Friday evening, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
At approximately 6:28 p.m, the surfer lost his board and managed to grab onto a lobster trap buoy while awaiting help. He had been surfing with a friend who immediately reported him missing—quick action the department said “made a huge difference.”
Fire personnel conducting an initial shoreline search found the surfer’s board washed up on the beach, confirming the situation.
Crews then launched aerial drones equipped with infrared cameras to scan the water and located the surfer about a quarter-mile offshore. Rescue swimmers, guided in real time by drone operators, reached him and safely escorted him back to shore.
Water rescue Haskell’s Beach 6:28pm. A 26 y/o male surfer was swept away from shore by powerful high surf after losing his board. He was surfing with a friend, who reported him missing immediately-quick action that made a huge difference .
The surfer managed to grab onto a… pic.twitter.com/YNmdXKCRN1— Santa Barbara County Fire Department (@SBCFireInfo) February 7, 2026
Firefighter/paramedics evaluated the surfer on the beach; he did not require medical attention and was released.
As a safety reminder, the department advised: “Never go in to the ocean alone—especially in rough conditions. It can save lives.”
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Should they be sent the bill for their emergency rescue – or is this one ok since it’s not someone hiking on a local trail?
Thank goodness this person who was out in the waves had someone else along to alert emergency personnel. How lucky he was that he just happened upon a lobster buoy…wow! Surfing in the dark is not usually a good idea at all, especially for the inexperienced during high surf. The best advice is to start planning on catching your last wave or two after the sun goes down. I hope the surfer can find the lobster fisherman who set his trap there and buy him a soda or a beer or a big bottle of whatever. Know your limits people BEFORE tragedy strikes.
Cognitive word salad as usual – you have never surfed and are just making it up as you go along. It it were a hiker you would have been asking for kiosks.
There’s no actual shame involved for those who need to be rescued whether it be in the ocean, trail, rock face, tree, or wherever a person might need assistance. Maybe a bit of embarrassment, for sure. This is similar to the KEYT surfer guy who had to be rescued off the rocks at Leadbetter some years ago (he was a tad embarrassed). Not many think that it’s wise for the inexperienced to try to catch waves in the dark, especially when it’s double-overhead with faulty equipment (bad leash) and no idea of what you’re doing. I hope this surfer learned a valuable lesson and that others can look at this event and say, “Hey, maybe I shouldn’t do what this guy did and play it safe.” Blessings to the saved surfer and a huge THANK YOU to the rescuers who saved his life!
Double Overhead? What are you talking about? It was head high maybe a foot overhead on the larger sets. I was out. Until dark. Also, genuinely don’t understand how this person couldn’t swim back in unless they were total amateurs in the ocean.
Shoulda left them out there for the mountain lions, amiright?
Alexblue: I’ll go with your report of head-high waves since you say that you were there at the time this guy was almost lost to the sea. In addition to being in the high surf, in the dark no less, it’s likely he was exhausted (possibly swimming against a rip current) and panicked. What a frightening position to be in without the aid of his surfboard. Again, thank you to those responsible for saving his life. My hope is that he will reflect on what he could have done differently and pass it along to others who might not be so lucky.
Huh?
Your posts typically have zero substance, relevance, and it seems little or no thought is put into what is being written.