Teenage Pro Surfer Zander Venezia Dies Trying to Surf Hurricane Irma’s Waves

Pro surfer Zander Venezia, 16, died trying to surf Hurricane Irma's mega-swell waves in Barbados.

Two weeks ago, Venezia, who was from Bridgetown, Barbados, won the top prize at the Rip Curl GromSearch in North Carolina, and was said to have Olympic aspirations.

Stab Magazine reports Zander was with friends and photographers on Tuesday to surf a heavy break known as “Box by Box,” which is on the east side of Barbados

Former pro and surf instructor Alan Burke, who was not there when the tragedy occurred, opened up to Surfline about what happened, calling it “horrible news” and saying he was in “shambles” over the loss.

“I'm told that Zander got overturned by a closeout set, where he likely hit bottom," Alan said. "[Fellow surfer] Nathan Florence got to him first, then shouted for the other guys and started to perform CPR. Zander was bleeding, and he wasn't moving. They tried to get him to the beach quickly, which was difficult. Box by Box is a tough place to get in and out of, even if you have the ability. There's lots of big rocks around, and some stick out of the water."

Burke said Zander was rushed to the hospital, where he was “breathing, but not responsive,” adding, “From the time Nathan got to him in the water to when they arrived at the hospital, it was about 75 minutes of nonstop CPR."

According to Alan, autopsy results revealed that Venezia was knocked unconscious and drowned.

Shortly before his death, he told friend and surfer Dylan Graves, “I just got the best wave of my life.”

His friends took to social media to mourn Zander. See their posts below.