The surfer whose body was recovered from the ocean off Santa Barbara this week has been identified as a 68-year-old Santa Barbara man, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

The deceased was Guy Brian Wright, sheriff’s Lt. Jarrett Morris told Noozhawk on Saturday after next of kin had been notified.

Firefighters and other emergency personnel responded at about 12:15 p.m. Wednesday to the incident below Mesa Lane.

A witness told Noozhawk that a surfboard was discovered floating in the kelp bed offshore, prompting another surfer and a private boat to search for its owner.

They found the deceased surfer, and recovered his body.

The Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol was advised that a commercial fishing vessel was coming into the harbor with Wright’s body, according to Capt. Nathan Alldredge, acting harbor operations manager.

The boat was met at the dock by firefighters and sheriff’s deputies, and Wright was confirmed dead by paramedics, Alldredge said.

It is likely Wright succumbed to a medical condition, Alldredge said, but the cause and manner of death were under investigation by the sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau.