Inset: Andrew Gustafson (San Luis Obispo District Attorney’s Office). Background: California’s Morro Bay, where Andrew Gustafson allegedly attacked a female surfer and held her underwater (KSBY/YouTube).
A California paddleboarder is facing trial over accusations of assaulting a female surfer in the ocean, where he allegedly pulled her by the hair and submerged her underwater while hurling expletives, as reported by the victim.
During a preliminary hearing last week, Haylee Red-Van Rooyen testified, “I thought I was going to die,” regarding the incident involving Andrew Gustafson, 60. Gustafson faces two felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon, specifically his paddle, according to The San Luis Obispo Tribune.
One charge includes assault with force likely to cause significant bodily harm. The attack is alleged to have taken place at Morro Strand State Beach in Morro Bay.
Red-Van Rooyen testified that Gustafson seized her hair and forced her underwater, expressing uncertainty about her survival. She described how Gustafson allegedly shouted profanities and derogatory names after he caught a wave behind her and collided with her using his paddleboard.
Gustafson reportedly yelled repeatedly, using offensive language, including, “F— you, you f— b—!” and other vulgar terms.
Red-Van Rooyen explained that she was with a group of surfers, and Gustafson was navigating waves “right in the middle of us,” as reported by the Tribune. She clarified to the court that she was positioned far from Gustafson on her longboard.
“He took the wave from behind me and came just tearing down the line, and then ran into the back of me and knocked me off the board,” Red-Van Rooyen alleged. “I was so shocked. … There is absolutely no reason to, you know, fly down the line when you see someone in front of you and hit them. You could damage the board, you could hurt the person. … There was no reason for that.”
Upset over what had allegedly occurred, Red-Van Rooyen admitted to yelling at Gustafson and asking “what the hell are you doing?” while calling him a “d—k” and “a—hole,” according to the Tribune. “I’m a woman that was raised to stand up for myself, and I didn’t want it to happen to anyone else, so I confronted him,” she said. “Told him that wasn’t cool, that wasn’t right, not necessary.”
Gustafson allegedly did not take Red-Van Rooyen’s tongue lashing well and proceeded to attack her in the middle of the ocean with his paddle, according to prosecutors.
“He raises his paddle, and at that point, I know that he’s going to hit me,” Red-Van Rooyen explained. “I felt very afraid.”
Prosecutors say Gustafson struck Red-Van Rooyen with the paddle; her wetsuit protected her from sustaining cuts. Gustafson “continued to scream” at Red-Van Rooyen during his alleged attack, saying “‘you f—ing b—h’ over and over,” according to her testimony.
Gustafson’s lawyer Ilan Funke-Bilu did not dispute that an incident had occurred, but argued that it was “the classic story of surfer versus paddleboarder,” according to the Sacramento Bee. He reportedly requested that the felony charges be dropped to misdemeanors.
Gustafson was arrested in August 2025 and originally charged with attempted murder, but the DA’s office declined to pursue that charge. A San Luis Obispo County Superior Court judge ruled that there was “sufficient cause to believe Mr. Gustafson is guilty” of the assault offenses laid out by prosecutors and Red-Van Rooyen.
“It does appear to me that the offenses in the complaint have been committed,” the judge said, according to the Tribune.
Online court records show that Gustafson was released on a $25,000 bond in August and is due to appear in court for his arraignment on March 2.
