Fishermen Find Body of Missing Surfer

Local fishermen yesterday found the body of an American surfer who went missing last weekend in waters off western Indonesia. Daniel Bobis apparently hit another surfer's board after emerging from the barrel of a powerful 10-foot wave. His leash broke and his board washed to shore. A member of the search and rescue team said Bobis' body was found about 20 miles from where he'd last been seen.

Bobis, 32, was a math teacher and coach in New York, and had started a competitive surf team at the school. He had been vacationing with his wife on Sumatra island. "Everybody's mourning," said the mother of a boy on Bobis’ surf team, some of whom planned to paddle into the surf last night and observe a moment of silence. Bobis “knew the power of the ocean,” said a friend, noting the surfer’s extensive experience. “It just goes to show you that Mother Nature calls the shots, unfortunately." (More surfing stories.)