On the morning of Friday, August 21, The Inertia received word that Encinitas lifeguard Blake Dresner had tragically died while surfing in Mexico. He’d been enjoying one of those trips where the waves stick with you forever until paddling out on the morning of August 15 and being cheered into a wave by friends watching on the beach.
“That’s when things went wrong….” Yehuda Ben-Hamo said in an email to The Inertia. Blake did not surf another wave, and the story of his passing has spread through the entire surf community in the weeks since. He was a skilled waterman, adept in the heavy surf that took his life that morning, and just 23 years old. Every surfer who read the news of Blake Dresner’s death instantly understood his story could just as easily have been theirs.
“It’s definitely been difficult to lose him during the summer to an aquatic, mortal injury but there was no way he could survive (such an injury),” Encinitas Lifeguard Capt. Larry Giles told The Coast News. “It has resonated here with this community because we’re all tied into the water… we surf, we respond to calls up and down the area, and for one of your co-workers to pass that way has a big impact. It’s a huge loss for the lifeguard community.”
On August 24, Encinitas residents displayed just how impactful Blake’s story was, with an estimated 500 people showing up at North San Diego County’s Moonlight Beach for the “Paddle Out for Blake.” The short film shared by Yehuda and Danny Hardesty documenting that day is tough to put into words, but it will undoubtedly make you feel an instant bond with the ocean community.
Editor’s Note: The Encinitas Lifesaving Association is raising funds to support Blake’s family. You can donate here.
