El Salvador Surfing Community In Mourning After Olympic Hopeful Katherine Díaz Killed By Lightning Strike

Katherine Díaz was an up-and-coming star, a female surfer in a world still dominated by men, training hours every day to qualify for the sport’s Olympic debut in Tokyo.

But last Friday, the 22-year-old was felled by a lightning strike at El Tunco beach in southwest El Salvador, a tourist destination for surfers around the world. She died on the spot.  

Her death was felt in the surfing community and beyond. Díaz had made a name for herself in her native El Salvador for her fearless moves and had become an inspiration to young girls looking to enter the world of competitive surfing.

“She was being very disciplined,” said her brother, José ‘Bamba’ Díaz, a professional surfer and current president of the Salvadoran Surf Federation. “She was determined to put El Salvador in the Olympic games.”

El Salvador has long been heralded among surfers for its waves, and President Nayib Bukele has sought to make the country a surfing destination. One of his major projects is “Surf City,” an initiative to invest in and develop hundreds of miles of coastline, with the aim of attracting tourists and putting the country on the surfing map.

For some Salvadorans, the sport has offered an escape from the country’s endemic poverty and violence, including Bryan Pérez, the country’s most heralded surfer. 

Díaz, the youngest of four siblings, got on her first surfboard at age nine. Her older siblings had all won first prizes at national championships, and Diaz was determined to as well, her brother said. In November, she achieved that goal, winning one of the first prizes in the country’s premiere national competition.

In a sport still dominated by men, Díaz was eager to make sure other girls felt welcomed. Díaz gave surf classes to girls, and hoped to make an example by her own achievements. 

The Summer Olympics in Tokyo could have been a significant showcase for Diaz to show her skills to the world. A total of 40 surfers—20 men and 20 women—will qualify for the games. 

On the day of her death, Díaz was very happy because the surfing federation had signed a sponsorship contract with the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, her brother said. Díaz was about to start her training, and had stopped to talk to a friend on the beach, when the lightning struck.

Two days after her burial, fellow surfers in El Salvador gave her a floating memorial in the ocean, known as a “paddle-out.” Hundreds of surfers bobbed on their boards in the open water, holding hands in an enormous circle to commemorate her. 

“She was the youngest. She was the princess,” said her brother José, adding that the lightning strike hadn’t burned her body. “God came and took away her soul.”