Man found dead off Big Sur coast was fishing from rocks, sheriff says

A 25-year-old man was found dead Saturday afternoon in the ocean off the Big Sur coast after he had reportedly been fishing from shoreline rocks, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office said.

The man, identified by the Sheriff's Office as Alberto Hernandez of Marina, was spotted floating near rocks in the China Vista Point area around 1 p.m., according to the agency.

A tourist saw him in the water and called emergency dispatchers.

Lifeguards and emergency crews from Cal Fire and California State Parks pulled Hernandez from the water and brought him to shore, the sheriff's office said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Monterey County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team helped move Hernandez from the rocky shoreline to the road above, where his body was released to the coroner's office.

Authorities said family and friends told investigators Hernandez had been fishing off the rocks in the area where he was found.

The death came during a stretch of hazardous surf along the Monterey County coast. The National Weather Service issued a beach hazards statement for the Southern Monterey Bay and Big Sur Coast through Monday morning, warning that strong winds were creating rough beach conditions, dangerous surf and strong rip and longshore currents.

Forecasters urged people to stay out of the water and off rocks, jetties, piers and other waterside structures, warning that rough seas can suddenly sweep people into the ocean.

The sheriff's office also urged residents and visitors to keep away from the water's edge. Sneaker waves can rush farther up the shoreline than expected and hit with enough force to knock people down or pull them into the water, the agency warned.

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