San Francisco Surfer and Family Man Dies After Tragic Accident at Ocean Beach
A beloved member of the San Francisco surf community has tragically passed away.
Kirby Lee, a surfer and family man died, on November 6 after sustaining injuries surfing Ocean Beach four days earlier. He was 54 years old.
On November 3, we reported that an unconscious surfer at Ocean Beach was rescued by fellow surfers, brought to shore “pulseless and not breathing,” and hospitalized at UCSF Medical Center.
SFGate broke the news of his death on X (formerly Twitter) yesterday and captioned the post above:
"A surfer found unconscious at SF’s Ocean Beach last week has died, his family said."
It is still unknown what exactly caused Lee to lose consciousness during his last surf session.
According to SFGate, other surfers said that Lee was wearing a helmet and the waves that day were "relatively calm" and around "three to five feet."
In a story published yesterday, SFGate wrote:
"Lee’s sister, Sabrina Umphress, told SFGATE over the phone that doctors were unable to conclusively say what led to her brother’s death."
“They ruled out heart attack, they ruled out stroke, there were no injuries, nothing on the outside of this body that indicated he had been hit by his board and knocked unconscious, nothing,” Umphress said. “We asked the doctors so many times. It sounded like they were very thorough. It’s a mystery.”
“Doctors said that there was extensive brain damage caused by lack of oxygen,” his sister said. “Kirby was an organ donor. They were successfully able to transplant his heart and kidneys.”
Lee was an experienced surfer and an associate professor of pharmacology at UC San Francisco.
He learned to surf in high school and took surf trips to Australia, El Salvador, Fiji, Nicaragua, and South Africa. At his time of death, he was an Ocean Beach regular and lived nearby.
According to SFGate:
"Lee is survived by his wife, Tammy; his son, Evan; his daughter, Amara; his brother, Mark, and his sister, Sabrina, and their families."
Rest in peace, Kirby.
***
Don't miss another headline from SURFER! Subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on Instagram, and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of surfing. We're always on the lookout for amusing, interesting and engaging surf-related videos to feature on our channels.
Whether you're a professional surfer or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on SURFER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality surf videos.
