Big-wave surfer Sion Milosky, from Hawaii, dies at Maverick's on Wednesday
By Julie Jag - Santa Cruz Sentinel
- An accomplished big-wave surfer died at the Maverick's surf break off of Princeton-by-the-Sea on Wednesday while surfing waves up to 60 feet.
Sion Milosky, 35, of Kalaheo, Kauai, Hawaii, apparently drowned after enduring a two-wave hold down around 6:30 p.m., according to Maverick's surfer Ken Collins, with whom Milosky was staying in Santa Cruz.
Rescue crews responded to possible drowning call at 6:51 p.m., according to Loree Borelli, a fire captain at the Felton Command Center. They transported the patient, who was reported unconscious and not breathing, to Seton Coastside Hospital in Moss Beach.
Milosky caught at least six waves before he fell when the lip of a wave he was riding collapsed on top of him, Collins said. The fall happened during low tide, when the water depth at the break averaging 15-20 feet deep. Milosky's board went straight to the bottom, or "tombstoned," Collins said. Another wave crashed over Milosky after shortly after the first, Collins said.
Nathan Fletcher, a invitee to The Jay at Maverick's Big Wave Contest who had traveled to Santa Cruz with Milosky, went looking for Milosky shortly on a Jet Ski shortly after Milosky fell, Collins said. About 20 minutes after the incident, Fletcher found Milosky's body floating at the Pillar Point Harbor mouth, about a mile from the break, Collins said.
About a dozen surfers, including several from Santa Cruz, gathered Wednesday to surf the break, which can produce wave faces as big as 80 feet.
Swells at Maverick's were expected to reach 23 feet at 6:30 p.m., creating faces of about 40 feet, according to the wave forecasting website Wetsand.com.
Milosky was named the North Shore Underground Surfer of the Year last month. He used some of the prize of $25,000 in travel funds to fly to Santa Cruz on Sunday to catch one of the last big swells of the season at Maverick's.
"Sion was dominating it. He was out there catching so many waves, he was so good," said Collins, also a Jay at Maverick's invitee. "Everybody was like, 'Who is that? What are you doing letting Hawaiians take over your wave?' That's what blows my mind the most is that he was doing all that, and then he drowned."
Milosky is survived by his wife and two young daughters.
In January, Orange County surfer Jacob Trette was knocked unconscious after a fall at the break and was rushed to Stanford Medical Center. He recovered.
A surf photographer illegally patrolling the break on a Jet Ski pulled Trette from the water, igniting a debate over surfer safety at the break.
"On a day like that, we could probably use two professional lifeguards," Collins said. "Really, if that's what it's going to be doing out there, I would highly suggest that. I think that might have been a chance [for Milosky]."
The only other surfer to die at Maverick's was Mark Foo, also of Hawaii, in 1994.
RIP Sion Milosky...
ADG
Adam_M
03-17-2011 07:35 PM
RIP Sion! Died doing what he loved at least.
mvee
03-17-2011 07:49 PM
He probably hit his head in the shallow water and was KO'd. RIP Sion. Mavericks has now taken 2 in that contest
NaughtyRob
03-17-2011 07:55 PM
That sucks. RIP.
Ayla_SquareTurtle
03-17-2011 08:13 PM
Fuck! Can't they wear some kind of locating device for these kinds of scenarios? It seems like the poor guy was in the water for a half hour before they could even pull him out, he had no chance. Terrible.
AsianDivaGirlsWebDude
03-18-2011 12:16 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ayla_SquareTurtle
(Post 17987368)
Fuck! Can't they wear some kind of locating device for these kinds of scenarios? It seems like the poor guy was in the water for a half hour before they could even pull him out, he had no chance. Terrible.
That sounds like a good idea. Wear it as a bracelet or sew it into the trunks/wetsuit.
