A 26-year-old surfer was knocked off his board by high waves at a Santa Barbara County beach Friday evening.
The man, who was accompanied by a friend, went night surfing at Haskell’s Beach in Goleta when he was suddenly pulled into the water. His surfboard washed ashore.
His friend called 911 and reported the swimmer missing.
A rescue crew from the Santa Barbara County Fire Department arrived at 6:28 p.m., and sent out aerial drones to scan the water. The man was spotted about a quarter-mile offshore, according to the fire department.
Video of the rescue shows the man holding the top of a lobster trap buoy, which prevented him drifting farther to sea. Two officers from the department’s water rescue team pulled the man back to shore.
He did not require medical attention, officials said.
“Never go into the ocean alone — especially in rough conditions,” the Fire Department said in a post to X. “[Having someone with you] can save lives.”
According to the surf monitoring website Surfline, waves at Haskell’s Beach “[ease] a touch in the afternoon but [pump] through sundown.” The beach is known as a beginner’s spot.
A 2021 survey by the Santa Barbara Channelkeeper Watershed Brigade counted a total of 44 lobster traps on the coastline between Haskell’s and Ellwood Beaches, as reported by NoozHawk, a local Santa Barbara news outlet. Brigade volunteers continue to remove the derelict traps, known to be hazardous to beachgoers and wildlife.
From 2016-23, there were 3,631 fatal unintentional drowning cases in California, according to data from the state’s Public Health Department. The National Weather Service reported a total of 99 surf-related deaths in 2025, nine of which were in California.
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