A 62-year-old surfer competing in the Luau & Legends of Surfing Invitational fundraiser was found face down in the water at La Jolla Shores, pulled from the water by lifeguards and then died at a hospital Sunday.
His name was not immediately released.
Witnesses saw the man laying on his surfboard in the water one moment, then floating face down in the water the next, according to San Diego Fire Rescue Department Spokesman Lee Swanson.
Paramedics were called to just south of Scripps Pier -- near the intersection of El Paseo Grande and La Jolla Shores Drive -- at about 11:15 a.m., according to San Diego Fire Rescue Department Spokesman Lee Swanson.
Lifeguards performed CPR and other life-saving measures on the man until paramedics arrived. They took him to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, where he was pronounced dead at 12:30 p.m., Swanson said.
The medical examiner's office was called to investigate the cause of death.
The surfer was participating in the 21st annual Luau and Legends of Surfing Invitational, a UC San Diego beachside fundraiser that benefits cancer research and care.
