Search called off for man whose broken kayak was found near CA bay. ‘A great dad’
Days after a broken, overturned kayak was found near a California bay, the search for a missing kayaker has been suspended, rescuers say.
San Diego Lifeguards found the kayak, which looked new and was broken in half, west of Mission Bay the afternoon of Friday, Feb. 14, the United States Coast Guard Pacific Southwest said in a Feb. 17 news release.
Through investigation, rescuers said they learned the kayak belonged to a man, identified by family as Danny Marron of Yuma, Arizona, who left Mission Bay at about 11:45 a.m., KNSD reported.
Marron’s wife, Eryka Arizaga, told KSWB he was a competition outrigger paddler.
“He paddled this route,” Arizaga told the outlet gesturing to the bay. “This was like the back of his hand; he did this my daughter’s whole life.”
His cellphone last pinged just south of the bay’s entrance about two hours after his departure, according to rescuers.
Rescuers said they, along with San Diego Lifeguards and San Diego Fire Department officials, searched a 460-square-mile area over the span of about two days.
“The searching conditions are extremely challenging,” Lifeguard Chief James Gartland told KGTV on Saturday, Feb. 15. “The surf came up to about 8 feet yesterday, and it was extremely choppy and windy.”
Despite search efforts, rescuers said they “found no signs of distress.”
After an “exhaustive search,” rescuers said they suspended the efforts to find Marron at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16.
Marron was a teacher, a community spiritual leader and waterman, his wife told KSWB.
But more than anything, he was a father to their 9-year-old daughter, who would often be his racing partner, Arizaga told the outlet.
“The most important thing is that he was a great dad,” Arizaga said of her husband of 20 years, the outlet reported.
If new information becomes available, rescuers said search efforts will begin again.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Joint Harbor Operation Center watchstanders at 619-278-7013.
This story was originally published February 18, 2025 at 9:42 AM with the headline "Search called off for man whose broken kayak was found near CA bay. ‘A great dad’."
