Latest Update was 5:00 PM 5-18-2020.
As of now, this is an on-going story. Newest updates are added as they come in, scroll down for all the updates as they are posted in chronological order.




Around 3:40pm, LA County Lifeguards responded to a call, a large group of swimmers got pulled out by the strong rip current. Lifeguards made contact with a number of the swimmers, but one did submerge. They are searching for an adult male.

LA CO Fire Dept reports were that they evaluated a 10 year old boy after lifeguards rescued him from the water and are currently searching for his father who remained missing as of 5:30 p.m



Around 3:40 p.m, scanners picked up reports of "lifeguards responding to a reported missing swimmer in Venice Beach. Section 3, Area 23, LR200. Dive 1 also on scene."

Live footage of the search was posted to our Instagram Story as it was happening.


"Lifeguards are conducting Line Searches throughout the surf zone. Dive 1 is Conducting subsurface searches with support from Baywatch Del Rey. LA County Fire Air Ops Copter 12 is conducting an aerial search. Location is Ketch Tower in Venice Beach."

Statement from LA Fire Dept: (LA County Lifeguards) requested LAFD medical support in their search for two reported missing swimmers. One 10yo male was located, evaluated and did not require transport to the hospital. LA County Lifeguard is leading the continuing search for the 2nd swimmer, reported to be the adult father of the 1st patient. LAFD is on medical standby only. All further questions are referred to LA County Lifeguards ; FS 63; Batt 4; West Bureau; Council District 11; E63 RA63; CH4; Margaret Stewart

The Coast Guard stated they "are currently searching for missing 39-year-old man off the coast of Venice Beach."

SECT3 reports the search for the missing person continues from the air, surface, and underwater. Water is 15-30’ deep with a north facing lateral current at 4 mph. Swells still 5-6’

"There was a large rescue of 6+ people shortly before. I watched the whole thing, but still don’t understand exactly what happened. It happened so quickly." commented witness Rhiannon Dourado.

*Update* As of 7:30PM subsurface searches have been suspended for the evening.
Lifeguards will continue periodic land based patrols throughout the area. Dive and Sonar search operations will resume at 7:00AM tomorrow.




UPDATE 5-18-2020, 10:30 AM
Lifeguards resumed Sub-surface Dive operations at 7:00AM

#VeniceIC *Update* @LACoLifeguards and @SEBLASD
resumed Sub-surface Dive operations at 0700. @LACoLifeguards Marine Technical Search Team is working with Baywatch Del Rey to conduct side scanning sonar of the area. pic.twitter.com/MQfg3NFjQU

— LACoFD Lifeguards (@LACoLifeguards) May 18, 2020

The missing swimmer is said to be Former WWE star Shad Gaspard, who is 39 years old. Gaspard was swimming with his 10-year-old son who was rescued and unharmed.



Gaspard's wife posted this to her Instagram story:




UPDATE 5-18-2020, 1:30 PM
Reports came in that at approximately 12:30PM, the search has been stopped.

"We had one of our lifeguards go out to make a double rescue of a father and a son. The father unfortunately got pushed down by a wave as they were getting pulled out of the current. The lifeguard rescued and grabbed the boy, the son, and tried to grab the father as well. He ended up getting pushed down by a wave and we couldn't find him and we immediately started with our rescue boats, called in additional lifeguards to search that location of his dad." - Kenichi Haskett, Los Angeles County Fire Dept Lifeguard Division.


UPDATE 5-18-2020, 5:00 PM
“Every effort will be made to locate this gentleman, he is somebody's family member, and we all have family, so we will not rest until we feel that every effort has been made to locate him,” said Deputy Trina Schrader of the Los Angeles Sheriff Department Monday.

The Cove Skate Park's staff has been laid off, because of the City Of Santa Monica's "budget cuts". A petition has been started to bring back the park's experienced administrators, Rick Boisdeau and Brian Adams.

We understand the seriousness of the budget shortage and still we are asking that the Santa Monica City Council reconsider their decision to lay off highly experienced administrators of the Cove, notably Rick Boisdeau and Brian Adams. If the skate-park is re-opened with reduced hours and inexperienced staff it will create a safety risk as well as a serious blow to the community. Fees are currently very affordable and if increased could perhaps prevent these damaging cuts. Attendance at the park has steadily increased in the past year. As parents, coaches and skaters we are concerned that with shortened hours and inexperienced staff, once re-opened the skate park will lack the safety and enjoyment it has been known for.

It is impossible to overstate the value that Rick and Brian bring to the Cove. From a risk management perspective, they are highly experienced, competent, and knowledgeable about the sport of skating and can maintain safety through peak hours with high numbers of kids and adults at completely different skill levels. When beginners and intermediate skaters swamp the park area, crashes and injuries become more likely. For the safety of local and visiting skaters, it is important to maintain the excellent staffing from which we have benefited to date.

From a community perspective, Rick and Brian have made the park into an extraordinary place, a second home for many of us - it is no coincidence that attendance has increased under their watch. Rick has been instrumental in the success of the Cove Girls program, a twice-monthly girls-only skate session that has positively impacted the lives of so many girls. Brian, who outside the Cove is a teacher trained in Special Ed, teaches the kids to play chess and is always reading books, though typically his desk is busy with kids who want to chat with him. Rick and Brian both model sportsmanship, fairness, patience, and leadership. Our kids learn so much from them, in fact we all do - they are truly beloved.

Skating was once a rogue activity with origins here in LA; it is now an Olympic sport and recognized as one of the healthiest ways to develop resilience and brain activity. A recent article by Chris Lawton is one study among many outlining how skate parks contribute to the revitalization of urban space and provide important social and cultural benefits. For these benefits to be realized it is vital to maintain the sense of community, respect for the sport and each other that has flourished thanks to Rick Boisdeau and Brian Adams.

Please consider the impact to the safety, health and well-being of our community and sign this petition to help bring them back.

Here's some surf photos from Saturday, May 16th at County Line. These were taken from around 8:00PM till about 10:0AM. This set was shot by ChrisDidThis.

These are just a few of the photos from this session. If you were out there, you probably got some surfing shots, probably multiple photos, they will be in the complete photo gallery for this day, check them out, the link to the gallery is down below.








You can find more photos from this session, all full size and in high-resolution, in this photo gallery:

County Line - Saturday 5-16-2020 Photo Gallery


If you were out there, we probably got some cool surfing shots of you, go check them out!

Wanna see photos from previous days at this and other local surf spots?
Click Surf Spot Galleries and look for the spot and then the date.

Here's some of the surf photos from Saturday morning at the Venice Pier.

This set of surf photos was shot by Six12 Media and brought to you by RVCA.

These are just a few of the 30+ photos from this session. If you were out there, you probably got some surfing shots, probably multiple photos, they will be in the complete photo gallery for this day, check them out, the link to the complete gallery is down below.












You can find over 40 more photos from this session, all full size and in high-resolution, in this photo galler7:

Venice Pier - Saturday 5-16-2020 Photo Gallery


If you were out there, we probably got some cool surfing shots of you, go check them out!

Wanna see photos from previous days at this and other local surf spots?
Click Surf Spot Galleries and look for the spot and then the date.

Today, Santa Monica Extends the Local Emergency to June 30 and Requires Face Coverings for Outdoor Activities (except water activities). here's the city's press release:

“Today, Interim City Manager and Director of Emergency Services Lane Dilg issued a fourteenth supplement to Santa Monica’s local emergency, extending the declaration of local emergency and all associated orders to June 30, 2020. The supplement also requires cloth face coverings for all permitted outdoor activities, except water activities. Children under two and individuals who have breathing difficulties, are unable to remove a cloth face covering without assistance, or have a disability that prevent the use of a cloth face covering are exempted from this requirement, but must comply with all other social/physical distancing requirements. This aligns with Los Angeles County’s revised Safer at Home Health Officer Order and a similar order from the City of Los Angeles issued yesterday.“

Here are additional updates Santa Monica residents should know:

Tennis courts are allowed to reopen for singles play. This weekend, the tennis courts at Reed Park will be available to residents with additional openings in the weeks ahead. All parks will be open, including Palisades Park, for safe outdoor recreation. Street sweeping will resume in neighborhoods beginning June 1 and will continue on a monthly schedule, beginning the first full week of every month. Follow posted street signs.

Physical distancing remains a requirement along with cloth face coverings whenever you are outside your home. Please comply with physical distancing requirements posted by businesses and recreational facilities.


For more of our coverage of the Coronavirus lockdown, closures, and how our local surf community and businesses are doing, CLICK HERE

Go behind the scenes with owner and designer Francesca Aiello at our Frankies x Victorias Secret photoshoot - Day Trip to Malibu.

On Friday, the Air Force Thunderbirds will do a flyover in salute to California healthcare workers, first responders and other essential personnel on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus. Their Los Angeles flyover becoming from downtown down the 10 freeway and along Venice Blvd to the beach, and then down coast to Manhattan Beach, over Torrance to Long Beach, then down the coast again to Newport Beach. All this will happen between 1:35PM to 2:10PM. See the flight path below:

Surfing this week's swell at Malibu. Filmed pre-beach opening.

Surf Therapy dog Haole Boy passed away today.

Haole served as the Ambassa-dog of his community, and the non-profit A Walk On Water, which provides Surf Therapy to children and adults with special needs. He started surfing later in his life (at the age of 5) when he "told" his parents he wanted to surf by climbing on his Dad's surfboard. Haole is a retired surf-dog competitor, whose main focus is sharing his love and comfort of surfing with others.

A Walk On Water posted:

Our beloved AmbassaDog, Haole Boy, left this earth today after a long and brave battle with cancer, but we know that he will live on in all of our hearts forever.

No one who witnessed Haole on a wave could possibly forget that image of grace and athleticism. More than a dog who could surf, Haole was a Surf Therapist in the truest sense of the word. Haole loved to volunteer at AWOW Surf Therapy events with his pawrents John and Kim Murphy. He took his "work" seriously, and we all witnessed him changing the lives of countless children in need.



Haole's immense courage empowered countless AWOW athletes, who found the confidence to paddle out just by seeing him in the lineup. He was a calming and kind force on the beach as well, often turning tears into smiles. He created moments of peace, love, laughter, and joy at every event. He will be missed beyond measure.

Today we all grieve together as a family. We can’t yet set a date for when we might gather to celebrate Haole’s inspirational life because of the pandemic. As soon as the situation permits, though, we will announce memorial plans.



In the meantime we wanted to give our AWOW Family a way to express their feelings. If you'd like to draw a picture or share a short personal handwritten note to capture your memories of Haole, please mail them to us so we may incorporate them into a memory book for Haole’s family.

A Walk On Water
‪526 Victoria Ave
‪Venice, California 90291‬

For now, we take comfort in knowing that Haole is smiling down on us as he catches wave after perfect wave.

Haole's website: Haoleboylife.com