Surfer Dies After Suffering Unfortunate Accident on Dayton Beach Shores

A surfer in Florida has passed away after reportedly suffering a head injury in the water.

Surfer Jorge Alvarado giving a hand gesture / Mandatory Credit - Screenshot From GoFundMe

Surfing in the ocean can be a dangerous activity. Physically taxing, hitting the water can result in serious injury, and you never know what dangers lie below the surface.

Unfortunately for one surfer, those horrors turned fatal. 

On Friday, September 13th at about 9 a.m. local time, Jorge Alvarado, a Port Orange resident, was reportedly riding waves just south of the Sunglow Pier near the shores of the Daytona Beach Shores.

A head injury was suffered while he was in the water. According to director of Volusia County Beach Safety and Rescue Tamra Malphurs, via Frank Fernandez of the Daytona Beach News-Journal, “It is believed Alvarado struck a sandbar and then became tangled with a piling under the pier. A witness saw him then "strike a piling with his head before going under in an unguarded area.”

Several other surfers who were in the water attempted to help rescue Alvarado, but it took several minutes to get him. Life-saving measures were administered right away until he was transferred to the hospital.

"Sounds like the lateral current pushed him into the pier after he hit his head," Malphurs wrote.

A GoFundMe was set up for Alvarado had received more than $14,000 worth of donations before his passing was announced. The total now sits at just over $21,000.

“Jorge, rest in paradise brother…..Your spirit was as vibrant as the ocean waves you loved to ride. You brought joy and adventure to everyone around you.

You were always there to lift others up, encouraging everyone to push their limits and embrace life fully. Your passion for surfing was matched only by your love for your friends and family,” read part of a message written by Justin Gore, the organizer for the fundraiser on GoFundMe.

Head injuries are something that has become more of a focus in the sports world. That has led companies to seek out ways to better protect people.

In the surfing world, helmets have become more prevalent. About half of the competitors in the Tahiti-based Championship Tour and Olympic Games wore helmets as the perception around wearing them is beginning to change.