Marin County (KRON) — The man killed Wednesday in a kayaking accident at Dillon Beach has been identified as 55-year-old Nicholas A. Anast.
Anast was a professor at Santa Rosa Junior College.
He and a friend were kayaking Wednesday afternoon when Anast fell into the water just north of Dillon Beach.
That’s near the Marin County line.
When Anast’s friend tried to help him, he saw that Anast’s kayak was filling with water.
He tried to pull Anast from the water, but they both fell in.
The survivor was able to get himself back to shore, but with heavy surf and strong winds, he lost sight of Anast in the water.
A fisherman saw what was happening, and called 911.
Multiple agencies responded, and were able to quickly rescue the survivor from the rocky shoreline.
It took another hour for a news helicopter to spot Anast’s body in the water.
The survivor told police that both men had been wearing life jackets.
When Anast’s body was recovered, he was not wearing one.
According to the sheriff’s office, it isn’t uncommon for a large or poorly secured life jacket to come loose in heave surf.