The Santa Barbara area surf community is reporting that Chris Brown, a standout at Rincon and pretty much any right-breaking wall in Southern California, has passed away. In the mid-90s, Brown was a stalwart of the PSAA Tour after spending a couple middling years as a World Tour pro. By the early 2000s, Brown was a regular at big-wave breaks throughout California.

After his pro career ended, Brown became a fisherman in the Santa Barbara area, still tearing apart Rincon whenever it broke.

Details are non-existent at this point. Keith Malloy initially posted a message on his Instagram account this morning. Shaun Tomson also tweeted out a message. Brown was 48.

Just heard the sad news about the passing of Santa Barbara legend Chris “Wraparound” Brown. The entire surf community sends out prayers to his family and friends. I will always remember his huge smile, magnetic warmth and that beautiful wraparound cutback. RIP @cisurfboards pic.twitter.com/4d9iMQ4ghC — Shaun Tomson (@shauntomson) January 20, 2019

We’ll share more details when they become available.