A surfer was killed Saturday after a collision with another rider at the popular Rincon Point break just south of the Santa Barbara County line. Officials identified the victim as 51-year-old Gerald Gilhool of Ojai.
Dispatchers received the call for an ocean rescue on March 6 at 1:14 p.m., officials said. Gilhool was rushed by ambulance to Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, where he was pronounced dead. Reports suggest Gilhool suffered a fatal head wound, though authorities have not yet released an official cause of death.
According to the Ventura County Star, other surfers who witnessed the collision brought Gilhool to shore on his surfboard and provided medical aid until firefighters arrived. The other rider sustained cuts to his head and nose but was able to drive himself to the hospital, witnesses said.
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Gilhool was a former tour manager for the rock band Dawes, which posted a statement on Instagram about his death. “He was so full of life that it’s impossible to imagine him gone,” the band said. “We’ll be spending the rest of our lives missing you, man. We love you so much.”
Dawes’s lead singer, Taylor Goldsmith, is married to actress and singer Mandy Moore, who also posted a tribute on Instagram:
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