SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Three wooden statues, about six feet tall, made from oak wood, have been placed on a bluff above the iconic San Jose surfing spot in Northern Baja located about 100 miles south of the border.
To get there requires an off-road vehicle and a strong back to withstand the bumps and potholes of a never-ending twisting dirt road.
It takes about 3.5 hours to get to the area from the U.S.-Mexico border.
But surfers say the break at Punta San Jose is worth it.
“It’s a unique wave, it’s a peak that breaks to both sides, you can surf left or go right, it’s the perfect barrel, and it’s always glassy,” said Antonio Otañez, president of the Baja California Surfing Association, which has 400 members from both sides of the border.
It’s these conditions described by Otañez that drew Callum Robinson, his brother Jake and friend Carter Rhoad to the area.
The Robinson brothers were from Australia, Rhoad from San Diego.
The trio was camping on a bluff above the water when they were murdered during a robbery attempt.
Their bodies were dumped in a well about four miles from the site where they died.
The Baja California Attorney General’s Office said all three of the surfers had been shot in the head.
“It made us very sad,” said Otañez.
Otañez and his fellow surfers decided to honor the Robinson brothers and Rhoad with a monument that was dedicated Wednesday morning at the spot where they were killed.
“In all the world we have a brotherhood with surfers, so we want to honor our brother surfers from Australia and the U.S.A. that’s the least we can do.”
The wooden statues resemble wooden silhouettes with their back turned to the water. They have heads, but without distinct facial features.
Two are just a few inches apart, while the third is about four feet away.
“For the design we put the two brothers together, the Australians, and the American just off to the side, they’re made out of wood because of the weather and everything, that way they will be here forever — I’ve been coming here for 30 years, I’ve brought my wife, my daughter and friends and we have always been safe here.”
The ceremony was attended by surfers and officials from both the Australian embassy in Mexico and a representative from the Baja California governor’s office.
After brief comments, about a dozen surfers went into the surf for a traditional “paddle out” in honor of the surfers killed.
They could be seen splashing the water while sitting on their boards forming a circle.
“We take flowers out, tell stories as a way to remember our fellow surfers.”
Otañez said the victims’ families were aware of the memorial and the paddle out.
“They were very supportive and appreciated the gesture.”
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