Felix Louis N'jai: Kite-surfing coach killed in shark attack at California beach wedding
POINT REYES, CALIFORNIA: Felix Louis N'jai, a 52-year-old kite-surfing coach, has been identified as the missing wedding guest who died in a horrific shark attack on October 1.
The US Coast Guard suspended their search for the missing person 22 hours after they received reports of a man who was dragged into the water by a shark off the coast of Wildcat Beach.
Felix Louis N'jai described as a 'true unicorn of a human being'
According to the kiteboarding community Pressure-Drop.us, Felix was a well-respected kitefoiler who came to the US from Gambia a few decades ago.
Rocked by his death, the community said that he was "equipped with a spontaneous smile and positive attitude."
Inanc Ino, Felix's friend, stated in a Facebook post, "An Amazing Gambian American kind, gentle, loving waterman, kiter, winger, foiler, one of the most beautiful racers to watch on St Francis Races, has stepped in to realm of Beauty yesterday while celebrating life in the Pacific Ocean martyred by (an) unprovoked shark attack."
Felix Louis N'jai was adored by his students and coworkers
In a Facebook tribute, Felix's fellow coach Gebi Kites wrote, "Few humans connect to all other humans through soul to soul contact; Felix was one of those humans, a highly realized soul, who exuded love, passion, beauty, grace, stoke, generosity, childlike exuberance with every breath."
According to an advisory from the National Park Service, the US Coast Guard has suspended its search in the "frigid" waters, but "a ground search is being conducted by first responders from the NPS, the Marin County Sheriff's Office and the Marin County Fire Department, and the Stinson Beach Fire Department."
Since 1950, there have been 210 shark attacks and incidents off the California coast, as per the records of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Out of them only 15 were fatal, none of which happened in Marin County.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Hunter Schnabel said, "We didn't find the individual so there's no way for us to confirm whether or not it was a shark attack."
However, two other swimmers told first responders that they spotted a large pool of blood in the water while other witnesses mentioned that the victim was screaming.