Close Call for KEYT Anchor After Surfing Incident

Santa Barbara first responders were called to Shoreline Park Tuesday morning after people on shore saw NewsChannel 3 anchor/reporter CJ Ward having difficulty in the water after being thrown from his surfboard.

Passersby called 911 just before 10:30 a.m. Ward was able to walk out of the water, but told the station he was winded and was battered against underwater rocks a few times. “And the last 30 yards you are being pounded wave after wave and then it is just waves and rocks, and cliff. Then you take a beating against the cliffs,” he said.

Ward, an avid and experienced surfer, said he tried paddling into a big set of waves that had just developed but the leash connecting him to his surfboard snapped.

The powerful waves threw Ward against nearby rocks. Medics evaluated Ward at the scene but did not treat him for any injuries.

“The waves are deceiving. They are bigger than they look and don’t go by yourself,” said Ward.

Ward and his wife, co-anchor Beth Farnsworth were scheduled off today and tomorrow, so he won’t be back on the anchor desk until Thursday.

There is a high surf advisory for the Santa Barbara area, and the public is reminded to be careful when entering ocean waters.

Nearby other surfers say the current weather conditions have been encouraging.

” So El Nino have been coming in, bringing in really good swell. We have waves for the next two weeks which Santa Barbara doesn’t usually see,” said Santa Barbara City College student Garrett Totten.

Finding the right beach at the right time is also a key to enjoying the current surfing conditions while it is pumping down the coast.

Ethan Lynch, a college student at Leadbetter Beach said, “the winds are pretty perfect just the tides a little too high. The current is messing things up. But it is still pretty fun. A lot of waves forming up, lines are perfect.”