Wave Breaks Board, Killing Pro Surfer

Mark Foo, a well-known pro surfer and television personality from Hawaii, crashed while riding a large wave Friday and was killed, authorities said.

Witnesses told investigators that Foo was riding a large wave when he lost control and the wave crashed onto him, breaking his board in three pieces.

At least one of the pieces apparently struck him in the head and he went under, said Dave Cammock, chief investigator for the San Mateo County coroner’s office.

The accident occurred off Half Moon Bay, where surfers had flocked to ride swells that in recent days have been reaching 20 feet. The waves are the product of slow-moving storms and high winds that start in the open ocean and build in size and power as they roll toward shore. Foo, 36, of Haleiwa, Hawaii, heard about the conditions earlier this week and flew to California. After Foo went under, friends alerted the Pillar Point Harbor Patrol and a search began. His body was found about two hours later and retrieved from the mouth of Pillar Point Harbor.

A well-respected big-wave surfer, Foo was born in Singapore and raised in Hawaii. Foo and Mike Latronic, both former professional surfers, produced “H3O,” a magazine format surfing TV show on cable television.