Well-liked surfer and attorney Rob Rebstock surfed his last wave on Sunday. He'd headed down to a beach at Hollister Ranch at dawn, where people saw him enjoying glassy conditions for a good two hours. "He came in on a wave," his law partner Rob Egenolf described, "and someone noticed he wasn't paddling back out." He is survived by his wife, Suzanne Rebstock, and their children, Sarah and Patrick.
Rebstock had a heart condition, although it's not yet known if that was a factor in his death. He'd famously defeated the reaper before, in 1975. On a scuba and fishing trip, Rebstock had just entered the water off Point Conception when a great white rocketed him off the surface several feet, according to a Shark Research Committee report. The bite marks measured out to a 19-foot shark, which threw him about 10 feet alongside the boat, where his brother and friends pulled him onboard immediately.
Rebstock practiced in the land transactions arena, and even as a litigator, he was known for his positive manner and empathy. His easy-going counsel was highly valued, his friend Randall Barnes recalled: "He always knew the right thing to do, the common sense thing, what was fair and best for the community."