The body of a 7-year-old girl from Calgary was recovered Sunday, two days after she was swept into the ocean near Big Sur, according to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office. The tragedy unfolded amid extreme weather, with dangerous surf conditions producing 15- to 20-foot waves and winds reaching 70 mph.
Authorities said the girl was carried into the water on Friday. Her father, 39-year-old Yuji Hu, immediately jumped in after her in an attempt to save her but was overpowered by the violent surf. Despite desperate efforts from another beachgoer and an off-duty California State Parks officer, Hu was pulled from the water unresponsive and later pronounced dead at a hospital.
The child’s mother also entered the ocean during the rescue attempt but managed to survive.
The incident highlights the severe dangers along the Big Sur coastline during powerful winter storms, where rogue waves and unpredictable currents can sweep people into deep water within seconds.
Search teams from multiple agencies had been working along the rocky shoreline through hazardous conditions before the girl’s body was located on Sunday.
