Popular surfing photographer Andrew Blauschild has reportedly died after suffering a heart attack after going surfing.
Blauschild’s death, according to reports, occurred just after he went surfing in Montauk on Monday. He just got out of the water and reportedly suffered the cardiac arrest that took his life.
His death has sparked an outpouring of love, support and grief from friends, family and even fans of his work.
Who was Andrew Blauschild?
Andrew Blauschild, born in 1971, was a popular New York based photographer, known for his images documenting surfing in Montauk, Long Island and beyond.
According to his biography, he took up photography as a child, when he was just a regular twelve year old growing up in the Bronx. Educated at the University of Brooklyn, Blauschild over time also took up surfing. Eventually, he combined his passions for photography and surfing and took on surfing photography as a full time profession.
He founded his own company, Kookbox Surfboards, in 2007, becoming the creative director and photographer. Working out of his studio in Brooklyn, he mainly took photos of surfers and was said to document the ‘surfing community and culture of New York beaches’. His biography reveals that he uses an innovative dye sublimation printing technique that he learned from his mentor, the renowned printer Charles Griffin, for his photographs, setting him apart from the competition.
Blauschilds has worked with notable brands including Ralph Lauren and Oscar de la Renta and has had his work featured in the New York Times and New York Observer. He was recently profiled by the Surfer’s Journal, a deep dive that covered his thirty year love affair capturing Montauk’s ‘natural beauty and surf culture.’
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Tragically, Andrew Blauschilds died on Monday, August 19th 2024, after going surfing on his beloved beach in Montauk. According to the Long Island surfers, he came out of the water after surfing, suffered a heart attack and was pronounced dead.
“He leaves behind a monumental body of artistic work that visually documents just about everything you can imagine regarding area surfing,” Mick Hargreaves, who runs the Long Island Surfers, said.
In a similar tribute, Frank Forbes expressed gratitude that the last thing Blauschild went doing on this planet was the one thing he loved doing the most, surfing.
Expressing how much he will be missed, he added that he wished he could go for one more surfing session with the deceased.
“Rest in peace buddy. Andrew Blauschild you will be greatly missed. Glad the last thing you did was go surfing with friends. Sad to hear of your passing. Wish I had 1 more surfing session with you,” he wrote.