Surfing Fans Still Remember Sunny Garcia for His Impact on the Sport — Where Is He Now?

Surfing legend Sunny Garcia quietly left the sport without much warning or even an official retirement around 2009. After that, he made headlines for mental health struggles, and, more than 15 years later, fans are still curious and concerned about where Sunny Garcia is. Because he is considered to be one of the most memorable and accomplished professional surfers of all time, his absence has been felt in the sport for years.

In 2019, Sunny was reported to be in critical condition and in a coma in a Portland, Ore. hospital. According to Surfine at the time, there were few details about what landed him in the hospital. Later, more details came out, and he pulled through. Fans and supporters want to know what happened to Sunny.

According to Surf Simply, Sunny was in the hospital in 2019 after he attempted to die by suicide. He slowly recovered, but in 2020, his kids, who run the Instagram account Pray for Sunny, shared an update about no longer being legally permitted to speak on Sunny's health or progress. They wrote that they wished circumstances were different, but didn't provide any other details.

"We have been told we (myself, Logan, and Stone) are not allowed to give out any information to ANYONE about our dad anymore," Sunny's daughter wrote in the post. "And that's why the updates stopped. I'm sorry it has to be this way because I know there are so many of you who love and care for my dad, including those of you who have known my dad for 30-40+ years or longer and are so eager just to know how he is doing. We wish things were different, but this is the reality of this situation for now."

After Sunny's apparent recovery, his kids made serious claims about his girlfriend. In January 2024, they shared a post to the same Instagram account with a caption that claimed Sunny was "being kept away" from them and his other loved ones. Sunny did not respond to the post, and Sunny's own Instagram has not been updated since 2019.

In March 2024, one of his kids made another post that alluded to a woman in Sunny's life who had a potentially negative aspect on him.

"Dad struggled with depression for a very long time. But throughout the years he'd been able to make it through trials and tribulations being surrounded by the light and love of his family, friends, and of course his dogs and his dirt bikes," they wrote.

"I really wish he had never met her. I'm curious if anyone else noticed a change in my dad in the two years leading up to his attempted suicide?"

Although Sunny has remained out of the public eye, his adult children seem to have support from those who once supported Sunny as a professional surfer and during his quiet struggle with mental health.

After the March and April 2026 floods that hit Oahu, one of Sunny's kids posted a GoFundMe on the Praying For Sunny Instagram account. As of April 2026, the fundraiser had reached more than $101,000 of its $110,000 goal.