Well-liked surfer last seen hiking in Malibu
OCEAN PARK Nobody knows where he is. Nearly two weeks after Santa Monica surfer Kevin Gale was last seen, Alden Cusick is still at a loss for words, unable to explain the disappearance of his friend for more than two decades.
“I thought something is wrong, he’s not around,” Cusick said. “I started going to his place, I thought maybe he’s mad at me.
“I couldn’t figure out what was going on.”
A retired flight attendant who frequented the waters off Bay Street, Gale, 49, has been missing since May 27 when he was last spotted en route to the Serra Retreat in Malibu.
A few unreturned phone calls and unsuccessful visits to his Ocean Park home later, the well-liked surfer was reported missing to the Santa Monica Police Department on June 4.
The SMPD launched a search effort in conjunction with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Lost Hills Station and the Malibu Search and Rescue Team, covering roughly 10-square miles in the Santa Monica Mountains over the past few days.
The team was able to narrow the search area after detecting a cell phone signal on Thursday, but the rescue efforts were derailed after the signal was subsequently lost, possibly a result of a drained battery.
Kevin Ryan, the captain for Malibu Search and Rescue, said the team covered an area north of the Serra Retreat where Gale had previously hiked, including a trail where he once described to friends as leading to a structure that had a view of the ocean.
“We went by helicopter three days and hiking two days, trying to find the structure with a view to no avail,” Ryan said The search was called off on Saturday. “Given the rugged (terrain), we deemed it unsafe to continue with that particular approach,” Lt. Darrell Lowe, who heads the SMPD investigative unit, said.
The investigation has turned up few results, the exception being the discovery of Gale’s car, an early 1990s model gray Honda Civic,discovered in a parking lot next to the Malibu Inn. The disappearance is being treated as a missing persons case.
“There is nothing to suggest that foul play or any of this is against his will,” Lowe said. “Nobody saw him with anybody else.”
Gale’s absence has left his friends in heartache, all who have yet to give up on hope, but some with doubts creeping in.
Santa Monica resident Jennifer Argenti met Gale several years ago, the two friends serving as surfing buddies at Bay Street almost every morning.
“We would call each other every morning, be in touch almost daily even if we didn’t surf,” Argenti said. “We were definitely friends beyond the surf.”
Argenti had not been in contact with Gale for a few days, staying in San Diego in preparation for a surfing competition. She became concerned after several unreturned phone calls, each dial met with a full voice mail box, described as uncharacteristic of Gale.
Friends describe Gale as a personable surfer with a healthy vegan lifestyle,frequenting Brian Kest’s Power Yoga studio on Santa Monica Boulevard nearly every night. He moved to Santa Monica in the early 1990s from Hawaii.
He was often called “Kevin with the green hat,” known for wearing a green baseball cap while surfing, chatting with other surfers in the water.
“It’s weird because we were out in the water and a group of us were wondering where Kevin was,” Terry Dunn, a Santa Monica resident who met Gale surfing six years ago, said. “I thought he had gone to Hawaii because he had talked about going there to visit his sisterin-law and niece.”
“I’m trying to keep positive but it’s pretty sad,” Dunn said.
Several friends are planning to meet at the Santa Monica Mountains on Wednesday for their own informal search, traversing the terrain to see if they are able to find any clues.
“We’re trying to stay upbeat,” Cusick said. “We’re looking at things in a positive way.”
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the SMPD at (310) 458-8451 or (310) 458-8427. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call the WeTip hotline at (800) 78-CRIME.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 10, 2008. Read the original PDF.