Sneaker wave to blame for Pacifica man's drowning death

PACIFICA, Calif. (KTVU) - More information is coming out regarding the drowning of a Pacifica man Tuesday afternoon.

Claudia Moore told KTVU that she was enjoying a picnic on the beach with her husband, Larry Moore, 60, when she was carried out by a sneaker wave.

She says she told her husband that she could stay afloat while he went to find help. 

She says she did not see him go into the water, she believes he drowned trying to rescue her.

Claudia Moore was rescued and a Coast Guard helicopter was brought in to pull Larry Moore out of the water.

He was rushed to Seton Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

"She let the riptide take her all the way out, and she was floating way out there, but I could see her head, and I could also see her feet," said Beth Grossman, a witness. "She was trying to relax, and not fight it."

"He, on the other hand, was trying to fight it, and get back up. He actually got close to getting out, like three times, but the waves kept taking him back in."

Witnesses say this incident was a tragic reminder of just how dangerous the surf is right now.

“He was the greatest man I’ve ever known,” Claudia said. “He had the utmost integrity and honor that any man has ever had.”

Moore said Larry was retired from Bank of America. He recently beat cancer in 2015. The couple had been married for 20 years and loved to travel.