It was a fateful meeting as surf photographer Randy Dible met Aussie surfer Callum Robinson about a month ago in Ocean Beach at his 5059 Newport Ave. photo booth.
“[Callum] said, ‘I like that surf print,’ and we got to talking and found out we were next-door neighbors,” said Dible, adding he later delivered Robinson’s print to him and they had a couple of brews. “He told me he had someone coming in from Australia in a couple of weeks and they were looking for a good surf spot. I told him of a spot ‘sacred’ to our family down in Baja, a valley about four hours south of here where you can easily camp.”
Tragically, Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, ages 30 and 33, respectively, and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad, 30, of Point Loma, were found dead while on a surfing vacation in Mexico. Nearly a week after they vanished in Baja California, all three of their bodies were discovered in an abandoned well overlooking the ocean.
Reportedly, Rhoad, a multi-sport athlete and alumnus of Point Loma Nazarene University, was just months away from marrying his sweetheart, Natalie Wiertz. He was a goalkeeper on the 2013 PLNU Sea Lions men’s soccer team and had been a member of the PacWest All-Academic Team.
Before PLNU, Rhoad had graduated from Northview High School in Atlanta, where he lettered three years in both football and soccer. According to a survey Rhoad took at PLNU, his favorite book was the Bible and his favorite hobbies were wakeboarding, wake surfing, and snowboarding. He said the reason he came to PLNU was because “It was the closest place to heaven.”
“With a heavy and sorrowful heart, I wanted our community to be aware of the tragic loss of 2014 alum Jack ‘Carter’ Rhoad,” said PLNU president Bob Brower. “Carter and Australian brothers, Callum and Jake Robinson, were on a surf trip south of Ensenada, Mexico when the three were reported missing. Their deaths are under investigation by the Mexican authorities who are coordinating with the FBI in San Diego and the U.S. State Department, as well as the U.S. and Australian consulates. Right now, we pray for Carter, Callum, and Jake’s family and friends who are experiencing unimaginable shock and grief. May they find strength, solace, and the support they need to navigate through their profound sorrow.”
Added Brower: “Carter is a cherished alum who has stayed connected to our PLNU campus community. As recently as the spring, Carter was helping out with the men’s soccer team. His support for the team was a testament to his dedication to the sport and fostering the same camaraderie that he had when he played soccer for PLNU.”
PLNU added the Rhoad family is “working on a statement and will release it when they feel appropriate.”
Dible described the Baja valley as long, about 17 kilometers, lined with mountains and with an oak grove in the middle. He said his family enjoyed “lobster fishing and playing in the surf.”
The surf spot and hang are relatively remote. “You can’t find it without a map as it is down a dirt road and you need to know where to turn off,” noted Dible who said the area usually isn’t dangerous for visitors.
Dible gave his take on what may have happened with the triple murder in Baja. “The Mexican cops turn a blind eye to it (crime) and people are sick of it,” he said adding, “Now with these deaths, the Mexican government is worried that tourism may be off for a while because no one will want to go to Baja. Unfortunately, it took these three guys to die to wake up their government.”
Dible doubts Mexican cartels were involved in the Baja murders. “I think it was an isolated incident committed by some random brutal thugs who weren’t too smart,” he said. “They stashed their bodies in the well and burned their truck. But one of them gave their (victim’s) cell phone to a woman when they should have just thrown it in the ocean. That’s how they were able to track them. Cartels don’t want dead tourists. They may have even turned them (murderers) in.”
There was one more thing Dible had to add, pointing out he was planning on joining the Robinsons and Rhoad on their surf trip, but had to back out at the last minute. “I could have been with them in that well,” he concluded.
FUNDRAISERS
GoFundMe.com pages for the families of Jake and Callum Robinson, and Jack Carter Rhoad have been set up: gofundme.com/f/carter-rhoads-memorial-fund, gofundme.com/f/callum-and-jake-robinson.
