Surfside, Texas (Montgomery County Monitor) - On Thursday October 22, 2009, Montgomery County resident John Baker traveled to the Gulf Coast to enjoy a few hours of surfing.  Baker, a 61 year-old retired veterinarian and former Coast Guard member, routinely monitors surf conditions in and near the small town of Surfside, Texas.  When conditions are right, Baker doesn’t hesitate to make the two hour trip to enjoy one of his favorite activities.

Surfers claim some of the best waves are produced just after a cold front passes through the area.  Something about the northern wind associated with the fronts apparently produces better waves than other wind directions.

Thursday morning weather forecasters predicted a cold front would push off the Gulf Coast area by midday.

Baker prepared as he always does and headed down for a few hours of fun.  His wife, Geneva, chose not to make the trip this time due to the cold and rainy weather.

Baker says he entered the water at approximately 12:30 p.m. and he noted scores of other surfers in the general area.

At some point thereafter Baker realized the wind, tide and weather conditions were blowing him further out to sea.  Baker attempted to paddle to several other alternate landfall points, but with a 25 mph offshore wind and a strong outflow current, all attempts proved fruitless.  Baker soon found himself out beyond the second sandbar and then realized his ordeal was about to turn from an annoyance to a possible life threatening situation.

In lieu of completely rehashing the story, please view the full length interviews with John Baker and his wife Geneva.  They both do a much better job of describing the unfolding events than any writer could.

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