Santa Cruz surfers hailed for rescuing family of 6 after boat capsizes
By Felix Cortez
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SANTA CRUZ, California (KSBW) — Some Santa Cruz surfers are speaking out for the first time since helping rescue a family of six near Steamer Lane after their boat was hit by a large wave and capsized.
The surfers were recognized by Santa Cruz Fire Chief Rob Oatey, including well-known local surfer Darryl Virostko, who is known as “Flea.”
Virostko said he was surfing Saturday afternoon when he saw a boat “gunning it” near Steamer Lane and a group of surfers. He called it “the strangest thing.”
“I knew right away the wave was going to get him, you know, and when it hit him, we all just kind of kicked into action and like, we got to find these guys,” Virostko said.
The boat was carrying four children and their parents. The children were wearing life vests, but the parents were not, and all were thrown into the water, Virostko said.
“It was chaos,” he said, describing a capsized boat and debris in the water, including fishing line and bait.
Virostko and other surfers helped pull people from the water. Among them was 14-year-old Ian Anderson, who helped a young boy onto his surfboard.
“I looked over and I saw a boat in the water, and then I looked in a different direction and I see this kid floating in the water just yelling for help,” Anderson said.
First responders said the incident could have ended in tragedy without the surfers’ quick response.
“The surfing community is a pretty tight-knit community,” Anderson said. “When someone’s in trouble, we always come together to help that person.”
“It was just tremendous that they were there and that they jumped into action,” Oatey said.
Oatey met Wednesday with some of the surfers to thank them for their actions.
“It’s not common or everyday that people want to get involved,” he said. “So it’s huge that we have people in the community who are willing to take that step and become involved in an emergency situation.”
City officials said they are considering a ceremony to honor the surfers at a later date.
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