The Indian Ocean has been relentless this month, with back-to-back-to-back swells hammering West Oz and Indonesia.
Last Friday, 47-year-old surfer Aaron Beveridge paddled out at Main Break in Margaret River (the site of the WSL stop), in the early afternoon during the middle of that solid run of swell — something he’d done many times before. Tragically, he never made it back to the beach.
Beveridge was a very capable surfer, a guy trained in breathing techniques and someone that often paddled out into heavy conditions at Main Break, his favorite wave.
Unfortunately, on Friday, he was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, and a series of events led to his disappearance. According to The Daily Mail, “It’s understood Mr. Beveridge became snared in the Surgeon’s Table – an underground reef notorious for causing dangerous surfing accidents.
“Witnesses reported seeing Mr Beveridge’s surfboard in the ‘tombstone’ position shortly before his leg rope snapped.”
The father of three hasn’t been seen since.
Apparently there were other surfers around that tried to help, but once Beveridge’s leash snapped and he lost his board, the other surfers lost sight of him. A full sea search was launched immediately after, but later suspended due to inclement weather.
If you’ve ever seen (or surfed) Main Break on a big day, you know the current that rips off the reef and into the channel is relentless. Getting stuck in it without a surfboard is the worst case scenario.
Beveridge’s Mom, Cheryl, took to social media to share her heartbreak, writing: “‘My son Aaron James Beveridge was tragically taken at sea while pursuing his passion for surfing at Margaret River, Western Australia. Can’t get my head around what’s happening. Hard to process. RIP Aaron. You were loved so much by so many people. Absolutely devastated.”
Our deepest condolences go out to Beveridge’s family, friends and the Margaret River surfing community.