A weekend outing turned into a devastating tragedy for a Calgary family at a California beach, resulting in the death of a father and a massive search for his young daughter swept out to sea.
Off-Duty Lifeguard Witnesses Tragedy Unfold
The incident occurred on Friday, November 14, at Garrapata State Beach in Big Sur, California. Sean Nowland, an off-duty California State Parks Peace Officer Lifeguard, was walking his dog with his fiancée when he became the first responder to the emergency.
"We noticed that there were two people kind of standing in a pretty dangerous area along the waterline," Nowland recounted, noting the waves were particularly large that day. As he began walking down to the beach to investigate, the situation escalated rapidly.
Desperate Rescue Attempt
Nowland witnessed a man and a woman attempting to pull something from the powerful surf. "What he grabbed was the wrist of a man that was in the water," Nowland said. He immediately instructed his fiancée to go find a spot with cell service to call 911, as the remote beach area has notoriously poor reception.
The officer then ran down to the shoreline to assist. "I assisted the male that was at that point was dragging this individual basically out of the shoreline," he explained. Together, they pulled the unconscious man, now identified as 39-year-old Calgarian Yuji Hu, as far up the beach as possible to safety.
Massive Search Operation Launched
The tragedy deepened when it was discovered that Hu had been attempting to save his seven-year-old daughter, who had been swept away by a wave. Dozens of searchers from multiple agencies combed the area for the missing girl in the following days.
Nowland expressed his profound sympathy for the family, calling the event an "unimaginable tragic series of events." California State Parks officials also offered their deepest condolences to all those affected by the devastating loss.
The search effort involved significant resources over many days, but unfortunately, the outcome was tragic. The community and authorities continue to mourn the loss and express support for the grieving family during this difficult time.
