CHP investigators said the woman either “fell or jumped.”
Ever try to kill a flea? Ain’t easy. Whack it with a phone book, flame it with a cigarette lighter, flick it with your finger, firehose it with DDT.
Don’t work.
That is also true for Darryl “Flea” Virostko, a big wave surfer from Santa Cruz who was determined to drown himself anywhere in the Pacific Ocean during the Roaring 90s.
Flea was part of the Santa Cruz “Vermin” crew – Skindog, Barney, Ratboy, Condor – who were Pied Pipered to Mavericks by Vince Collier, and who wanted to pay homage to surfers like Jeff Clark and Richard Schmidt who pioneered the place by charging hard at one of the most dangerous waves in the world.
The zeitgeist to Flea and his westside brethren was simple: “Go now, ask questions later.”
And that is what Flea did, from Mavericks to Waimea, launching himself into some of the biggest waves ridden at the time, but also some of the most horrendous wipeouts.
Virostko survived substance problems, enjoying meth and acid at some length although he was hardly Robinson Crusoe around Santa Cruz in that regard, and some pretty wild beatings in the Pacific Ocean to emerge butterfly like and become a daddy etc.
Now, according to Santa Cruz news outlets, on January 10 a lady rear-ended Flea on Highway One, and then she rocked over to the cliff, jumped in the ocean and drowned.
What?
According to Amy Larson on www.kron4.com:
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KRON) — A bizarre and tragic crash involving a former professional big wave surfer unfolded on Highway 1 north of Santa Cruz Monday.
A 40-year-old woman was driving a Honda Accord when she collided into a Toyota Tundra driven by surfer Darryl “Flea” Virostko, according to investigators.
The two-vehicle collision happened at 9 a.m. in the northbound lanes of Highway 1 near upper Swanton Road.
“After the collision, both vehicles pulled to the shoulder. The woman driving the Honda reportedly exited the vehicle, crossed the highway, and walked towards the cliff overlooking the ocean,” the California Highway Patrol wrote.
Witnesses saw the woman plummet down a 300-foot cliff. CHP investigators said the woman either “fell or jumped.”
The U.S. Coast Guard deployed a helicopter and water rescue team. The woman died before rescuers could lift her out of the water.
Virostko told KRON4 Monday evening that he is OK.
The CHP is investigating the collision. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is investigating what happened immediately after the crash.
CHP officers said they classified the crash as a “hit-and-run” because the woman technically left the scene on foot before she went over the cliff.
A mystery wrapped in neoprene: Why did the woman rear-end Flea? How fast was she going? Why did the woman jump into the ocean?
Even more mysterious: Where along Highway One can someone pull a Kim Novak into the ocean?
The woman’s name was not released. The CHP said she lived in Santa Cruz.
Okay so it was near Upper Swanton Road. so that means the accident happened around Greyhound Rock, which means the woman walked a couple hundred feet across a field to the edge of the cliff… and jumped.
Real odd.

Flea probably did something to that poor woman…scumbag will shut up now that she had died.
Elon is probably a true genius who has become one of the wealthiest people in the world doing good deeds.
And you’re not.
You’re just a know nothing dork on beachgrit.
FUCK.YES.
I read this story here this morning, and did not expect it to have nearly 200 comments by late arvo. Then I remembered Fuckhead McGee wrote it, and it all made sense. However, it didn’t actually make sense, cos as I read on, turns out the cunt is banned. Then it did make sense, cos there’s a lot of talk about him being banned, and that’s a worthwhile discussion. I’ll add to that talk. GOOD. He shouldn’t even have his articles published after the racist garbage he was shitting out the other day.
This thread is also the first time I’ve ever upvoted Bexy.
It happens
Are you on the pingers today?
Don’t change it
Swell net is an unusable clusterfuk
Sound a lot like swellnet.
You are all way off. She was a major Red Hot Chilli Peppers fan and when she realised it was the wrong Flea she couldn’t stand the embarrassment
Ronnie G would have been saving HB street vendors from the Tsunami!
Shouldn’t there be a separate comment section for all the BG mods to blow each other
There’s something in this, you know.
Except this model is what’s partially responsible for all the shark headlines.
This will be an unpopular line of thought, but I’d rather see commenting and good quality writing behind a (moderate) paywall than this inconsistent free for all. I’d like to see quality over quantity.
However, they missed a real trick in not retaining Steve and paywalling his writing. I’ve no idea what the figures would’ve been, but I bet it would’ve been better than ad revenue.
Upvote for keeping Steve…but what you describe, is what Stab is trying to do. Surprised they’re still in business, tbh.
Looks more and more appealing to me every day.
You’d get bored.
Thanks! I’m looking for good books to read especially about the west coast and the North Bay. I’ve been on trips to Baja. I had an incredible book that was all about what life was like in Marin around nineteen hundred. Great stuff
Two Years Before the Mast and North to California.
Tragic. And what is up with Flea and falling off of cliffs north of Santa Cruz? I know he took a really bad fall off the cliffs near Davenport prior to getting clean.
Yeah I do.
Nobody loves him more than Negs
https://youtu.be/VvKbbHKpwnU
The average person is starting to see the chaos that has been hidden by the curtain….
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
Fair point.
I read that as “methscort service” for some reason. Interesting concept…
They call it dyslexia, I call it creative.
Insane ! He’s still got it !