Beloved Oceanside professional surfer Zach Rhinehart died on Oct. 17 after a three-year battle with cancer.
He was 44 years old.
Born Sept. 5, 1979, Rhinehart was known for surfing the Oceanside Pier throughout his lifetime. He started surfing as a young boy, later joining the Oceanside High School surf team in the late 1990s.
As a professional surfer, he was featured in Transworld Surf’s major projects several times in the early 2000s and was considered “one of the most progressive and technical surfers in the area, stomping shuvits and progressive above-the-lip maneuvers,” according to Stab Magazine. “He was also one of the first guys sticking shuvits (often of the 360 variety) on a surfboard.”
Rhinehart was diagnosed with stage 3 gastroesophageal junction cancer in 2020. Over the last three years, the international surf community has supported Rhinehart during his cancer battle, including local organizations like the Oceanside Boardriders and surfer-owned North County businesses.
Rhinehart documented his cancer journey on Facebook and Instagram.
“I got my new port because all the veins in my arms are collapsed from I.V’s,” Zach wrote in a Jan. 13, 2020 post. “I also got my Gtube and have been getting nutrients in me. Thank you so much for your support, everyone! I’ll be at Scripps Encinitas for a few more days. Then chemo for the next six weeks, and hopefully get to have the tumor cut out and finally be on the road to recovery.”
In February, Rhinehart revealed in an Instagram post that the cancer had spread to his bladder.
Three months later, Rhinehart shared that his cancer was terminal and that he only had a few months to live if he didn’t immediately start chemotherapy.
After a three-year cancer battle that kept him from surfing, Rhinehart returned to the water in April for the last time at Padang Padang Beach, a surfing hotspot in Bali.
“I did it! Finally got to catch a couple of waves,” Rhinehart said in an April 22 Instagram post. “Thank you, everyone, for helping me get to this point. Three years thinking I’d never surf again.”
Rhinehart continued his chemotherapy treatments until his death in October. Many friends and family have publicly mourned Rhinehart’s passing on social media.
“Heaven gained the epic wave skate pioneer of O-Slide, CA,” wrote David Falkenau.
“You fought such a fight, but now I know you’re shredding the most beautiful waves in Heaven,” wrote Rhinehart’s cousin, Alexis Watson.
