Celebrated Surf Photographer, Andrew Blauschild, to Be Honored After Tragic Death

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Aug 23, 2024 3:37 PM ET

On Monday, August 19th, the New York surf community and beyond was struck with sadness upon news of the passing of celebrated photographer Andrew Blauschild.

He died from a heart attack; he was 53 years old.

News of the tragedy broke from the Long Island Surfers Facebook page:

“You'll be hearing about my friend Andrew in the coming days. A phenomenal surf photog, he surfed in Montauk yesterday, got out of the water, and apparently suffered a heart attack, and that was his last session on this earth.

“The surf community at large is in shock.

“Andrew, by his own admission, started out as a greenhorn kook, and wound up being quite the opposite, like we all hope to do. I've rarely seen anyone with a greater amount of pure STOKE.

“He leaves behind a monumental body of artistic work that visually documents just about everything you can imagine regarding area surfing.”

Following the news, tributes from surfers who knew Blauschild poured in. Like from fellow Montauk, New York surfer Pat Schmidt, who wrote:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pat Schmidt (@patschmidt)

“The connection I got to form with Andrew since moving to the east end is unexplainable. We always felt in sync. I felt like if he was on the beach, I could surf a certain way that worked well with the way he wanted to capture images of surfing. I could see where he was moving on the rocks, know right away the shot he was trying to get and adjust my position accordingly. I’ve never had that before. I’ve never even wanted that before, but with Andrew it was different.

“I’m such a fan of his work that I wanted to do whatever I could to be a part of it. We had 5 days in a row earlier this summer that we passed each other on nappegue meadow in the same exact spot, both with middle fingers held high followed by a phone call cracking up about it that would end up lasting hours. I will miss those times but am so grateful to experience them. Love you Andrew, thanks for taking me under your wing.”

And now, a paddleout/celebration of life will be held for Blauschild on Sunday, August 25th at 4pm at Ditch Plains Beach in Montauk, New York.