The Monterey County Sheriff-Coroner has identified the swimmer who died Tuesday, Oct. 13, at Sand Dollar Beach in Big Sur as Trevor Valentine, 38, of Casa Grande, Arizona.
Valentine was reported missing just after 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13, near the 69000 block of Highway 1 along the South Monterey County coastline, according to a Monterey County Sheriff's Office news release issued Wednesday, Oct. 14. Deputies initially received a report of a missing adult scuba diver, but first responders learned Valentine was a swimmer.
A large-scale, multi-agency search began immediately. Big Sur Fire, Cambria Ambulance, California State Parks lifeguards, the U.S. Forest Service and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter all responded to the scene.
A lifeguard was deployed in the water near the spot where Valentine was last seen. Additional personnel searched the nearby shoreline. Big Sur Fire Chief Matt Harris told KSBW that crews located the man on the rocks after searching for about 20 minutes.
Valentine was found unresponsive near the rocky coastline on the south end of Sand Dollar Beach. Responders administered lifesaving measures on the rocks before a Coast Guard helicopter hoisted him from the coastline and transferred him to awaiting ambulance personnel for further medical care. Despite those efforts, Valentine was pronounced dead.
The Sheriff's Office released Valentine's identity on Wednesday, Oct. 14, after the Sheriff-Coroner completed its identification process. The agency said in its news release that no further information was available.
The circumstances leading to Valentine's death remain under investigation, according to KSBW.
In a Wednesday, Oct. 14, interview with KSBW, Harris urged caution along the coast. "The ocean is unforgiving, you know … The rocks are very slippery. The swell is very powerful. And just to be careful and know you know your limitations," Harris said.
Harris cited large tidal movements and a northwest swell as factors making conditions dangerous at the time of the incident.
Anyone who witnesses a water emergency along the Monterey County coast can call 911.
