As is typical when the global surfing tribe loses one of its own, friends and family of Adam “Biff” D’Esposito, the surfer found dead in Mexico on September 9, held a memorial paddle out on Wednesday in Carlsbad to celebrate D’Esposito’s life.
Among the hundreds that gathered in D’Esposito’s honor was his six-year-old daughter Anabella. “I felt like that was really special that we could bring his daughter to where he learned how to surf and she could feel the power of all of his friends and where he grew up and know his spirit lives on,” D’Esposito’s sister, Mary told NBC News.
D’Esposito’s other sister, Briana, added, “The energy of everyone being there was something outside of ourselves. You could feel the spirit.”
When D’Esposito first went missing, it really hit home for many that knew him. Kelly Slater was the most high-profile among those who posted a picture of D’Esposito on Instagram pleading for anyone with information to contact the authorities. “A familiar face in our surf world has been missing for nearly two weeks, last seen in Baja Malibu, Mexico on 8/9 driving a silver Volvo station wagon,” wrote Slater in a post. “You may have seen ‘Biff’ surfing in Tahiti or San Diego over the years. He’s been a familiar face in many lineups.”
The apparent cause of D’Esposito’s death was a drowning near Rosarito, but his sisters don’t fully buy it.
“Since my brother is a big wave surfer, spending the better part of the last 20 years in Tahiti surfing some of the most dangerous waves in the world, it’s very hard for us and many of his friends to believe he would just drown. It seems like there has to be some more to the story that led him to that point,” Mary told NBC News.
A full investigation is still ongoing.
In the wake of D’Esposito’s tragic passing, his family has also set up a GoFundMe to, among other things, fund a scholarship for Adam’s daughter Anabella.
