‘Rogue Wave’ Kills SF Fisherman: Marin Sheriff's Office

MARIN COUNTY, CA — A “rogue wave” led to a death of a Marin fisherman whose body was recovered last week and the frantic helicopter rescue of two others, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The fisherman was identified Monday as Jose Medardo Padilla Ulloa, a 29-year-old from Honduras who lived in San Francisco, according to MCSO’s Coroner’s Division.

Ulloa was among three people who were swept into the ocean near Muir Beach on Feb. 7, the Golden Gate National Parks Service tweeted. The two others were rescued by helicopter.

Ulloa was with extended family fishing along the beach’s rocky shoreline at around 1:20 p.m. when he was struck by a “rogue wave” that swept him into the ocean waters,

according to the Sheriff’s Office

Two people who were with Ulloa who tried to provide aid to him were also swept into the ocean waters, according to the Sheriff’s Office. They were eventually rescued by a U.S. Coast guard helicopter, the National Park Service said.

The NPS Marin County Fire , Southern Marin Fire, Muir Beach Fire, and the USCG boat and helicopter operations were involved in the rescue and search efforts, the NPS said.

“First Responder agencies were dispatched and immediately responded to the scene in an effort to locate the missing subject,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

“An extended, extensive and arduous search was completed via air, water, and land to no avail. The rescue mission was eventually transitioned to a recovery mission with additional searches completed by the Marin County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team up until his recovery.”