Bodysurfer rescued off Ocean Beach

Firefighters were on the scene Monday morning to rescue a bodysurfer — yes, people actually go bodysurfing in that cold Pacific water — off Ocean Beach.

San Francisco Fire Department spokesperson Mindy Talmadge told reporters the department received a call around 10:20 a.m., saying there was a bodysurfer stranded in the water near Seal Rock at the north end of Ocean Beach.

Fire department, SFPD crews and the US Coast Guard responded to the call and rescued the stranded surfer, Talmadge said.

While bodysurfing in the ordinarily gloomy, fog-covered waters might sound unappealing, there is actually an active place for it in the aquatic culture of the Ocean Beach area. Not to mention that today’s weather was more like Southern California than classic NorCal weather.

SF travel guides such as The Scuttlefish give a “definitive” account of where to buy equipment for such a sport.

The  first ever San Francisco Bodysurf Classic was held at Ocean Beach in November of 2011. One day earlier, bodysurfing documentary “Come Hell Or High Water” was filmed, starring world-known bodysurfer Mark Cunningham.

No details about the bodysurfer’s identity or how he or she got stranded was released.