RIP Chris Brown (Santa Barbara)

[billie_morini]

Santa Barbara resident and former professional surfer, Chris Brown was found deceased near Hendry's beach surf break in Santa Barbara on 19 JAN 2019. Chris was only 48 years old and the cause of his death has not been released. He was the winner of Professional Surfing Association of America championship in 1994 and on the way to this title, he championed Kelly Slater. Chris also made news for his surfing prowess at Mavericks in NorCAL.

There's a really neat video about Chris on the local television news station, KEYT, at this link:
https://www.keyt.com/news/former-surfin ... /982325048

There are some news stories and photos at these links. The beach location where Chris was discovered is well known to many Santa Barbara residents, including Roxy Ridgeback and billie.

https://www.noozhawk.com/article/body_f ... _chris_bro

https://www.surfline.com/surf-news/rip- ... 2019/43504

We're anticipating a massive paddle out at the Rincon Classic surf competition that will occur sometime between this weekend and the next few weeks depending on surfing conditions. Rincon, known as the Queen of the Coast and world renowned surf break located at the Ventura-Santa Barbara counties line, was Chris' "back yard." Chris was one of the many surfing luminaries that live in Santa Barbara. Similar to all of them, he was well liked for his humble nature.

My apologies, it is not possible for me to properly credit the photo of Chris at Mavericks (below).

[oldmansurfer]

He was only 48 and they haven't determined/released the cause of death yet. I wonder what could it be? He was also a commercial urchin diver so something related to that?

[billie_morini]

Ol' Man, we're still waiting to find out. The San Jose, CA, newspaper today reported that Chris did not have identification on him and he was identified by fingerprints. As far as urchin fishing, it occurs all the way across the channel at the Channel Islands. The islands are about 40 miles from the location he was found. The location he was found is now haunting because it is a location Roxy Ridgeback and I go to nearly weekly. Prior to Roxy, my previous dogs and I would regularly go there. On pins and needles waiting for more news about this tragedy.

[billie_morini]

The surf community in Santa Barbara and Ventura is feeling this pretty hard.

https://stabmag.com/news/kelly-slaters- ... ris-brown/

Kelly Slater shared wonderful and heartfelt recall related to Chris. Following this, other notables chimed in. Much of this is tangible to me because I walk, swim, surf, and encounter the Santa Barbara areas and people mentioned therein.

“It’s taken me a couple days to even want to think about it. Chris Brown and I were nearly inseparable as teenagers. This guy was just such an excited, happy light in my childhood.

He introduced me to Al Merrick and Channel Isands. My brother and I stayed with Chris and his family on the Mesa in SB a couple summers and traveled to Mexico, Australia, England, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and beyond with Chris and his dad, Dave.

We used to sit in his house and just goof off all day, listening to his brother play every heavy metal song we knew on his guitar. The day I got my first Al shape, when I was 16, Chris and I drove back and forth twice in the same day to Lompoc to surf cause SB had no waves.
We’d listen to GnR in his brown truck. He used to mess with Josh Bradury, when Josh would follow us in his car, by waiting at a turn signal, pretending his car had something wrong with it, even getting out to check the engine, until the light was very yellow and then [Chris would] jump in and take off, leaving Josh stuck for another light! Haha.

Chris and I shaped a board together in his parent’s backyard, each shaping a rail. Being from the east coast and riding Matt Kechele's shapes, I had thick, rounded rails while Chris had been schooled on the finer, precision rails that worked well at Rincon. When we finally felt the board, we laughed and decided we had to have Chris reshape mine down to feel like his rail.

He actually won a PSAA event on that board, cause Al was gone for a month somewhere and he had broken his favorite board. I felt a huge sense of pride that he had competed on that thing.

Chris, Sean, and I made ourselves wooden boards to ride the ice plant down the Mesa in front of his house. I guess the waves were so flat all summer we had no better ideas. We would skate down the steep hills to the Channel Islands shop to pass time when there was nothing else to do.

It was so exciting being from the east coast, knowing Chris, and then getting to know the Channel Islands family. It was truly life changing for me. Chris surfed like Tom Curren. You would see the lineage in every wave he rode and being around that style as a kid was so inspiring. It opened a world to me that truly made my life a dream.

Chris was so incredibly smooth and stylish. We surfed together, competed against each other in CA and Florida, and surfed on teams together across the world. We had top honors together in Irvine at the wave pool event and then again at Lowers in 1990, as I started my senior year in high school. We even made a man on man final together at Hebara Beach in Japan in ‘93. And even as a fellow competitor, Chris was always supportive and positive and complimentary.

It’s really hard to write this and dredge up the memories. There are too many to mention...staying together in freezing cold England in 1986 at Fistral Beach for the world champs and Chris’s dad would have to come into our room a few times a night and put money in the heater machine to keep us warm. We both had zippers on the ankles of our full suits cause our feet were too big for our skinny, little legs.
Even as an adult, Chris was still that psyched, happy, raw kid. He would get as happy as a little puppy when he saw you. The stoke was so raw and real with Chris. I can close my eyes and just see and hear his funny ways and that classic style gliding across Rincon walls. I’ll miss this guy...
---
"Love this," wrote Shane Dorian. "Anyone who knew Chris will never forget his genuine, infectious stoke and smile. Gonna miss him."

"Very well said," wrote Rob Machado. "Such an inspiration to our entire generation... his style... his smile... And all around good vibes Thanks for sharing the stories. Amazing memories. Love you CB."

"Such a legend," wrote current Santa Barbara torchbearer Conner Coffin. "Thanks for sharing the rad stories. Brownie always made me feel so happy and inspired every time I saw him and always took time to say how proud he was of Parker and I. One of the best dudes ever. Miss you brown dog!"

"He was always the most excited and positive fixture in the lineup, harbor, or just cruising around town," wrote Morgan Maassen. "He was so good to me and my friend group growing up. every memory of amazing waves I have, he was there too, haha... always a sign you made the right call on where to surf if you saw him out on a solid NW. great tribute, Kelly."

"I was 19 the first time I met Browny," wrote serial commenter and Not Fanboy, Jach Byrnes. "Matt Reynolds @rjsurfboards paddled him out at our little known neighborhood spot and he just lit the tricky lineup on fire. I didn’t know what to expect from him as a person but was immediately blown away by his warmth and affability as I was his talent. He was so gregarious and friendly and his smile was instantly tattooed on my brain.

"Later living in Oceanside, Santa Cruz, and Ventura we crossed paths now and again and he always remembered me from that first session in Town back on Oahu, beaming that smile and radiating so much stoke. Any time he paddled out it instantly added so much more positive energy to the session. Even if I was having a shocker I could put it out of my mind just rapping with him and watching him light the place up with his talent and smile.

Chris was a true gem in the surf world, a genuinely unique character, and uncommonly humble human given his stature - salt of the Earth to his shimmering, crystalline core. To say he’ll be missed is as euphemistic a sentiment as saying the sun is bright.
"A lot of warmth left the surfing world with him. Aloha, Chris. Thank you for touching my life."

"Beautiful memories and stories, Kelly," wrote Tom Carroll. "Many thanks to you for colouring us with Brownies gifts. I only ever felt his energy around water, it certainly spoke a timeless language."

Following the post, Slater was just as generous with long responses, as questions and friend's remembrances brought the flood, which we'll just go ahead and include below:

"This one time we were in Cabo with Chris’s dad driving us around and Chris and I wanted to sing and the only song we could think of was the chorus to Kenny Loggin’s ‘Danger Zone’ and we sang it over and over. Such grommets.
"He got me drunk my first time when I was 15 in Australia with a couple of Aussies in Coolangatta and then looked at me like I was an idiot for being drunk!

"We got a west swell in the summer of 85 at Rincon with only 13 people out on the whole point. So many memories flooding through. Staying with us in Florida in the late 80’s, talking board design differences between east and west, playing rock, paper, scissors with Adam Repogle at the Sunset Classic, and the loser got their arm slapped every time, taking a boat into Hollister Ranch for the first time in 86 in the dark and surfing Cojo...

"So many fond memories."

[billie_morini]

https://ksby.com/news/local-news/2019/0 ... hris-brown
8:15 am
January 24, 2019

Memorial service, paddle out planned for former pro-surfer Chris Brown

A memorial service and paddle out has been set for next month to remember the life of former pro-surfer Chris ‘Brownie’ Brown.

The 48-year-old’s body was found over the weekend about a mile from Hendry’s Beach, according to the Santa Barbara Police Department.

The memorial service will take place Feb. 16 at 10 a.m. at Calvary Chapel of Santa Barbara, 1 N Calle Cesar Chavez, Ste. 21. Following the service, a paddle-out will take place at the end of the sandspit in the Santa Barbara Harbor.

Friends say Brown was a talented surfer with a personality that outshined his skills on the water.

His pro-surfing career peaked in the early 90s, competing at the highest level, even having a signature move.

After his professional career, Brown became a sea urchin fisherman in Santa Barbara. He reportedly leaves behind a daughter.

The cause of death has not yet been released.

[tomthetreeman]

In the Surfline discussion comments it was said that he was found at the base of the cliffs there, not sure if it could have been a fall?

[billie_morini]

Hi Tom, the cliffs in this area are about 25 m (80 ft) high. That's not terribly high when you consider: 1) the landing is soft sand, and 2) drunk college students fall off monthly nary breaking a bone. It's true, presently, that some sand cover was removed by the annual January king tides. That said, the location Chris was discovered is directly below an open space park known as Wilcox park / Douglas preserve. People and dogs fall off the cliff in this area with regularity. However, I fear something darker in this situation. We are all impatiently waiting for the coroner's report. The location that Chris was discovered is within 60 meters (200 ft) from where Mrs. Morini and Roxy met a new friend two days later (photo).

All in all, I am pretty sure you grasped how the international and local surfing community is effected by Chris' passing.

[billie_morini]

Tom, We're going to see international surf industry luminary here in memoriam in February. However, the reason will be for a sorrowful rather than joyful occasion.

[tomthetreeman]

Yeah, I am aware of the vibe. So sad. I was being hopefully optimistic, but I also read/heard darker rumors. I was a little out of touch there for a few days so I only had the info I read at the very beginning.

Tom

[billie_morini]

A dreadful determination is reported today in local news (pasted below). Near the article end point, there are references to local individuals that will lead specific aspects of the memorial service. Britt Merrick is the son of Al Merrick, founder of Channel Island Surfboards. Britt is the founding pastor for the wonderfully popular Reality Churches in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Ventura, Carpinteria, Boston, Honolulu, and London (UK). Dave Brown is a film maker and son of the surf & motorcycle film making icon Bruce Brown.


https://www.noozhawk.com/article/corone ... _and_drown

Coroner: Ex-Pro Surfer Chris Brown Fell Off Cliff, Drowned While High on Meth
By Tom Bolton, Noozhawk Executive Editor | @tombol | February 6, 2019 | 9:00 a.m.

Former professional surfer Chris Brown was high on methamphetamine last month when he fell from the cliffs above Hendry’s Beach and died, according to the Santa Barbara Police Department.
An autopsy revealed that Brown, 48, a local sea urchin diver, passed away in the surf after suffering major injuries in the fall, said police spokesman Anthony Wagner.

“It was determined that Brown died as a result of drowning due to blunt force injuries, which were caused by the decedent’s descent from height to the rocky surf line below,” Wagner said. “Other significant conditions include acute methamphetamine intoxication.”
Wagner added, “According to the investigation and toxicology reports, the decedent was under the influence of a high level of methamphetamine when he descended from a cliff to a rocky surf line below.

“He sustained blunt force injuries that were significant enough that he was unable to remove himself from the surf line and drowned as a result.”

The exact manner of death has been certified as “undetermined” by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau, Wagner said, adding that there was no indication of foul play.

A memorial service for Brown will be held at 10 a.m. Feb. 16 at Calvary Chapel, 1 N. Calle Cesar Chavez in Santa Barbara. A “message of hope” will be offered by Britt Merrick, and Dave Brown will deliver the eulogy.

Following the memorial service, a paddle out will be held at the end of the sandpit at the Santa Barbara Harbor.

[billie_morini]

Chris Brown Memorial Service was held today in Santa Barbara's Calvary Chapel and Sandspit surf break. Joy outweighed grief in the recall of this remarkable young man. Preceding the memorial service, there was a video containing hundreds of images of Chris from childhood to adulthood. From this video alone, it is possible to ascertain he was a beautiful human being. All the tales shared by friends and family served to solidify this impression.

[billie_morini]

As anticipated, the Calvary Chapel was packed. The additional halls and overflow auditoriums were, too. People came from the world over to pay respect. This included loving family, surfing luminaries, commercial fisherman and so many more.

[billie_morini]

So many family, friends, and work place associates shared their love of Chris, his love for them, his genuine affection for them, and the Christ-based faith common between Chris and them. This is (surfer) Daniel Rice from Maui. Chris and Daniel were shared a super natural bond. Kelly Slater, Britt Merrick and several other young men shared their love and testament, too. The large color photo on the easel in the lower right hand corner is Chris Brown with his lovely daughter, Chloe, on her University graduation day.

[billie_morini]

This is Britt Merrick. He presently runs the Channel Islands empire for his father, Al Merrick. He's lost a child, too, so he knows something about the grief Chris Brown's parents feel. Britt delivered a loving and appropriate Bible-based sermon.

[billie_morini]

This is Chris Brown's Father and Mother, with Chris' daughter, Chloe. Would you like to know what I see in this photo? I see love. Pure, simple, unconditional love. From observation here and confirmed by nearly everyone that has ever interacted with this family, these people are filled with grace. They are so warm and well-grounded that you'd want invite them into your home without hesitation.

[billie_morini]

The two-hour memorial concluded with some well known songs of encouragement, including Amazing Grace. Frankly, the outpouring of love was so tremendous, it'd been okay if the memorial continued for another two hours. It was immediately followed by 1.5 hr for casual dining, opportunity for condolences, and additional recollection sharing.

[billie_morini]

The Paddle Out was so much more than a usual paddle out to commemorate a surfing brother. Chris Brown was a commercial fisherman whom was well-known for his special ability to bring in loads of spiny sea urchins from diving. In addition to an international, regional, and local surfing cadre participating in paddle out, the commercial fisherman partook, too. So, did the Harbor Pstrol and the boat based fire department. Fireworks, flares, and colored smoke, as well as water cannons added to surfers' chants and splashes. The weather was about as perfect as you could want. Mrs. Morini and I'd been holding our breath about this because Santa Barbara county is receiving storms and precipitation not seen for close to 10 years. It rained cats and dogs for a week -- until today.

[billie_morini]

After about an hour, something thrilling occurred. The surfers paddled to shore and the commercial fisherman raced their engines to charge the mile or so up the coast to the very beach that Chris Brown passed away on. They went full bore. All of them whether designed for urchin fishing, crab and lobster fishing, net fishing, and what have you.

[billie_morini]

The fishing boat return was breathtaking.

[billie_morini]

Spectacular!