Orange County man dies after wakeboarding incident on Parker Strip

Authorities are investigating the death of a 50-year-old Orange County man after he was found unresponsive while wakeboarding near Windmill Resort on the Parker Strip of the Colorado River. Deputies were called to the scene in Earp, California, just across the river from Arizona, and the case remains open as investigators work to determine what happened.

The initial report did not say another vessel was involved, and no cause of death has been identified. Windmill Resort sits at 1451 Parker Dam Road in Earp and is listed by California State Parks as a private boating-access facility on the Colorado River, placing the incident in a mixed-jurisdiction recreation area where one emergency can quickly pull in response crews from both sides of the state line.

For La Paz County, the death lands in a corridor that is already heading into its busiest stretch of the year. The Parker Strip is a major 17-mile recreation zone, and the Parker Area Chamber of Commerce says the 48th annual Parker Tube Float, described as “the biggest Party on the Parker Strip,” is scheduled for Saturday, June 13, 2026. That seasonal traffic brings more wakeboarders, boaters, swimmers and tubers onto the water, raising the stakes for every outing.

The practical safety questions are the same ones that come up after many river tragedies: life-jacket use, fatigue, speed, visibility and alcohol. Arizona Game and Fish Department boating-safety courses cover navigational rules, buoys, anchoring, legal requirements, boating emergencies, water sports and paddling, all reminders that even experienced boaters can miss a critical detail when the water gets crowded. The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 120 accidental drowning deaths among Arizona residents in 2023, up from 99 in 2020 and down from 126 in 2022, underscoring how quickly a day on the river can turn into a recovery operation.

In a county where the river is both recreation and livelihood, the unanswered questions matter: whether this was a medical emergency, a drowning, a collision or another factor, and whether anything in the incident could change how people on the Parker Strip prepare for peak season.