Joy Ann Froding, 57 ( / Facebook)

A 57-year-old surfer died at Swami’s Beach in Encinitas Monday, the second person to die at the popular surfing spot in several days.

Joy Ann Froding was sitting on her board after riding “one of the best waves of her life” when she felt a pain in her chest, friend Robbie Nelson and authorities said. She told friends she was surfing with that she didn’t feel well, and then she collapsed about 11:15 a.m.

Froding was brought to the shore near South Coast Highway 101. The other surfers called 911 and performed CPR until paramedics arrived, the Medical Examiner’s Office said. She was taken to a hospital, where she died.


Nelson, who’s been friends with Froding for a decade, said on Facebook that he taught her to surf when she moved to the area in 2005, and Swami’s was her favorite spot.

“It made me happy to know that she stuck with surfing and really made it her lifestyle and that a beautiful wave was her last memory of her life,” Nelson wrote.

The Cardiff by the Sea resident was a jewelry designer, painter and sculptor, according to her profile on Etsy, a virtual marketplace for handmade or vintage items. She studied art at Colorado State University.