A memorial service and paddle out will be held next month for Chris Brown, a commercial fisherman and former professional surfer who was found dead last weekend on a Santa Barbara beach.
The memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Feb. 16 at Calvary Chapel, 1 N. Calle Cesar Chavez in Santa Barbara. A “message of hope” will be offered by Britt Merrick, and Dave Brown will deliver the eulogy.
A paddle out will be held at the end of the sandpit at the Santa Barbara Harbor following the memorial service.
Brown’s body was found at about 12:15 p.m. Saturday on Hendry’s Beach in Santa Barbara, about 600 yards east of Arroyo Burro Beach County Park.
Investigators are still looking into the manner and cause of Brown’s death, according to Anthony Wagner, a spokesman of the Santa Barbara Police Department.
Autopsy and toxicology results are expected next week, Wagner told Noozhawk.
Brown, 48, of Santa Barbara — whose nickname was Brownie — was a standout professional surfer in the 1990s. He also was known as a big-wave surfer, frequenting epic breaks such as Mavericks in Northern California.
He eventually gave up professional surfing and became a commerical urchin diver, but continue to ply the waves at his favorite breaks, notably Rincon Point.
Brown is survived by his daughter, Chloë Brown, and former wife, Jenny Culver.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.