A Torrance resident who was found unresponsive in the water off San Onofre State Beach died of a heart attack, the Orange County Coroner's office confirmed Wednesday.
Russ Yamada, 42, was found near his surfboard about 4:35 p.m. Sunday, according to a coroner's statement.
Friends said they were enjoying a weekend trip to surf with Yamada. Russ wasn’t supposed to meet them until Sunday, but he was able to leave work early Saturday and arrived at about 3:30 p.m.
You just never know about heart conditions. Up until last years findings, I 'thought' I was in perfect health. So don't ignore symptoms that may in actuality be signs of heart disease. Get yourself a good Doctor, and have annual check ups! And keep surfing!!
And that includes monitoring your children as well. My 15 year old son passed out twice this summer. He was out for 14 minutes! Scary! He's a stoked kid that skates, snowboards, plays soccer, mountain bikes etc...and is in great shape. Turns out he has a rare abnormality in his aorta. Not life threatening but definitely something he/we will have to monitor for a lifetime. So listen to your bodies y'all and as makai says definitely keep surfing.
One thing I learned from all the symptoms leading up to my double CABG procedure was, 'you have knowledge of Your body, and Doctors have 'knowledge of The body.'
Keep a vigilant eye on your Son kirkle.
im still a youngin (23)
but im wondering what type symptoms do you speak of?
heart failure is scary
At 36 laying in the ER with a pulse rate of 220 severe crushing chest pain, it was the scariest medical moment I have ever dealt with 5 people working on me machines attached to me....not fun whatsoever...do take care of yourselves...being in that bed alone not knowing if I was going to live or die was pretty brutal, ESP after finding out I had a daughter on the way several hours earlier... Take good care of yourselves...
Dying from "natural causes" while surfing an epic swell is exactly how I imagine myself going out (ideally not for a few more decades). I hope the last ride of his life was a bomber set wave. RIP Russ Yamada. Next time I paddle out, your spirit rides with me.
Absolutely makai. Fortunately my wife is an ER Trauma Nurse with a strong knowledge of the body, an ability to read symptoms, and perhaps equally as important an ability to navigate the insane labyrinth known as the US healthcare system. Thankful for each day! Good health to all!
hashcat: there are too many to list. regular cardio stress tests + blood workups are the deal. go get it done. they'll put you on a treadmill, get you up to 180+, smear goo all over your chest and take some ultrasound of your ticker, etc, etc... most important thing, which you have all probably already heard: don't ignore your body... if something doesn't feel right, get it checked out, and if you don't get a solid answer, get a second opinion on top of that. i walked around for 16 hours with a partially collapsed lung once, 'cos i thought i was just coming down with bronchitis....
at 23 you have almost nothing to worry about unless there's a history of congenital issues or other relevant stuff in your fam... better to know than not, it only takes about half a day to get checked out.
