Diver Recovers Body of Child Swept Into Ocean at Garrapata State Beach

Authorities in Monterey County have confirmed the sequence of events that unfolded along the Big Sur coast after powerful surf swept a young child into the ocean at Garrapata State Beach. Verified information from the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office and cooperating agencies outlines the incident and the subsequent recovery carried out with assistance from a diver working with search teams.

According to the official report from the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred on Friday, November 14, when a wave estimated at fifteen to twenty feet surged across the shoreline and pulled a young girl into the water. Her father, thirty-nine-year-old Yuji Hu of Calgary in Alberta Canada, entered the ocean immediately in an attempt to reach her.

A visitor and an off-duty California State Parks ranger were able to pull Hu from the water and initiated CPR before he was transferred to Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, where he was later pronounced dead. The child remained missing as agencies launched a coordinated water, air, and shoreline search in challenging conditions.

Across the weekend, Monterey County Search and Rescue, California State Parks, the United States Coast Guard, and local volunteers continued operations in heavy surf. On Sunday morning, a diver assisting search teams located and recovered the girl approximately one hundred yards offshore and about half a mile north of her last known point.

California State Parks has reiterated safety advisories for the region as high surf continues to affect much of the central California coastline. Garrapata State Beach is well known for unpredictable surf and powerful sneaker waves that regularly reach far higher than the visible tide line.

Authorities are urging visitors to exercise caution near the waterline during elevated swell conditions, particularly in exposed areas along the Big Sur coast.