A courageous Canadian father died attempting to save his 5-year-old daughter who was swept out to sea during California’s catastrophic flash flooding.

Life guards and state park patrol search Garrapata Beach State Park for a missing 5-year-old girl swept out to sea on Nov. 14, 2025.

Yuji Hu, from Calgary, Alberta, was with his wife and two children at Garrapata State Beach in Carmel when tragedy struck Friday, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office announced.

The 39-year-old watched a large wave engulf his young daughter and drag her into the water before he raced in to save her.

Waves estimated between 15 and 20 feet pushed the two out further into the ocean.

“He jumped into the water to try to rescue his daughter, and in the process, mom also jumped into the water. It was reported to us that dad had a hold of his daughter at one point,” Monterey County Sheriff’s commander Andres Rosas said, according to NBC Bay Area.

The girl’s mother had dove into the waters in an attempt to help Hu, but was unsuccessful in reaching her family. However, she was able to get back on shore, where her two-year-old child was waiting.

Hu was pulled out of the water by another beachgoer and an off-duty California State Parks Officer, who administered life-saving techniques on Hu.

Hu was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

The unidentified mother was briefly hospitalized overnight in stable condition as she received treatment for hypothermia. She was released on Saturday.

The 2-year-old child was not harmed during the disaster.

Hu’s daughter, who was last seen wearing a white shirt, remains missing, officials said. The outlet reported that the child was not wearing a life jacket.

A multi-agency, large-scale search for the young child took place all of Saturday before it was suspended at sunset.

Life guards and first responders stand near the state beach after a father drowned attempting to save his daughter from a 15 foot wave.

A recovery mission will continue along the shores of Garrapata State Beach after the suspension of the search and rescue operation.

An atmospheric river battered much of the central and southern coasts of California since Wednesday, bringing deadly flash floods, landslides, strong winds and heavy rain to the region.

A large tree was uprooted and fell onto a car in Altadena, Calif. during the atmospheric river on Nov. 15, 2025.

Coastal regions of the Golden State saw as much as an inch of rain per hour on Saturday, with over four inches falling in Santa Barbara County on Friday.

The long plume of tropical moisture that formed over the Pacific Ocean before making its deadly approach to California on Wednesday.