Authorities have identified the 7-year-old girl who died after being carried out to sea by a large wave at a Northern California beach.
In a statement released Monday, Nov. 17, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said the child was Anzi Hu of Calgary, Alberta.
Anzi was swept into the ocean at Garapata State Beach on Friday, Nov. 14. Search efforts continued through the weekend, and her body was recovered on Sunday, Nov. 16.
According to officials, a private diver from Stockton who leads the Angels Recovery Dive Team found Anzi’s body floating behind a rock roughly 100 feet offshore. The volunteer diver has assisted in multiple recovery missions over the past two years.
“This is one of those cases that stays with you,” said Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Eric Bixler. He added that teams were determined to keep searching and that the incident was particularly difficult for responders to process.
Anzi’s father, 39-year-old Yuji Hu, entered the water in an attempt to save her but was also swept out by the surf. He was pulled from the ocean by an off-duty lifeguard and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Anzi’s mother also went into the water to try to reach her daughter. She managed to get out on her own and was treated at a hospital for mild injuries before being released.
Bixler said he has spoken with the family since the recovery and described the meeting as heartbreaking. The sheriff’s office noted that the family has asked for privacy as they mourn, while also expressing gratitude to the agencies and community members who supported the search.
The incident occurred after the National Weather Service issued a beach hazards warning for the area, cautioning visitors about sudden, powerful waves.
This year, California has seen five other surf-zone deaths reported by the National Weather Service. All of those victims were male, ranging in age from 8 to their 70s.
