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HAWAII — The Coast Guard and life guards are searching for a surfer who was last seen riding a 20-foot wave off the coast of Hawaii Wednesday afternoon.
Kirk Passmore, 32, was born in Orem and has been surfing for decades. He also co-owned a surf shop in Oahu.
Passmore was surfing Wednesday near Haleiwa on the North Shore when witnesses said he was hit by two large waves which broke his surf board apart. Friends believe he suffered head trauma.
"We think he broke his ear drum because what happens when you break your ear drum is you have complete loss of balance and you have vertigo," said surfer friend Jamie Sterling. "So you have vertigo and he was swimming the opposite way and another wave came over him. And after that we didn't see anymore of him and we couldn't spot him."
Searchers have searched the ocean from helicopter and on Jet Skis, but haven't seen any sign of Passmore.
Other surfers said Passmore was not wearing any flotation device.
"Everybody wears float vests nowadays," Sterling said. "I have CO2 canisters so if we get in trouble, I pull (them) and they go to the top (of the water.)"
