Encinitas Humanitarian, Body Surfing Star Dies At 60

ENCINITAS, CA — A swim out/paddle out in honor of Longtime Encinitas resident and bodysurfing legend Mark Drewelow was planned at Seaside Beach at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, with a swim out at 9 a.m.

Also on Saturday, a Celebration of Life was scheduled for the Grauer School, at 2 p.m.

Drewelow is survived by his wife, Cristina, and daughters Julia and Lucy. A spokesperson for YachtAid Global wrote a tribute to Drewelow on Facebook.

"There are some people who live their lives so intentionally, so rooted in quiet service, that their ripple effects span oceans. Mark Drewelow was one of those rare souls," he wrote. "Mark was a lighthouse. A fixed point of steady light for so many of us out at sea—literally and figuratively. A man of calm resolve and generous spirit who guided vessels, people, and purpose alike through uncharted waters."

A tribute to Drewelow was written by Jake Howard on Surfer.com, and is not to be missed.

Surfer Magazine says that Drewelow was known for his lifelong connection to the ocean. The founder of YachtAid Global, and spirited supporter of the bodysurfing community, will be missed.

"Son of a military man, a swimmer and water polo player at Dana Hills High School in Dana Point, Drewelow went on to play water polo at UC Irvine before setting out on an adventure that would change the course of his life. In 1984, he and a friend went surf tripping around the Mediterranean, where his affinity for working on the ocean took hold," according to Surfer Magazine.

Read Surfer.com's remembrance of one of Encinitas's most beloved bodysurfers and philanthropists.