Body Found Near Half Moon Bay Ritz Carlton Id'd As E Bay Man: SMC

HALF MOON BAY, CA — The body that washed ashore to the beach near the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay Sunday was identified as an 18-year-old Hayward man, the San Mateo County Coroner's Office reported.

The man was identified by the coroner as Naphtali (aka Moi Moi) Finau through dental records.

Naphtali was last seen alive April 18 by his friends at Poplar State Beach in Half Moon Bay when he suffered distress in the water while boogie boarding, the coroner's office added.

His friends swam out "when they saw his boogie board fly out and swam out to get to him," San Mateo County Sheriff's spokeswoman Rosemerry Blankswade said. He became separated from the board, according to his friends' accounts. A few minutes later, his friends saw Finau 40 feet offshore struggling to keep his head above the rough surf. He was not wearing a wetsuit, which helps with buoyancy, nor a flotation device.

The friends returned to the beach to call 911, Blankswade added.

An extensive search involved U.S. Coast Guard and California Highway Patrol helicopters.

Deputies were dispatched to the scene 11:17 a.m. on a report of a human body floating in the ocean water, San Mateo County Sheriff's deputies reported. They located a male subject floating in the water off Miramontes Point and retrieved the body. The two places are about two miles apart.

The cause of death is pending investigation, awaiting further examination and additional testing including a toxicology report.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to the sheriff's office at 650-363-4911 or its anonymous tip line at 800-547-2700.