Authorities have identified the 26-year-old woman found dead in the water off San Diego’s La Jolla Shores Beach as Bryn Waite, a former college soccer player, while investigators continue working to determine the circumstances surrounding her death.
Emergency crews were called to the scene at about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday after receiving reports of an unresponsive person floating in shallow water, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office. Waite was pronounced dead at the beach.
Her body was discovered near the Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier, FOX 5 San Diego reported.
Bryn Waite, a former Central Washington University soccer player, was found dead in the waters off San Diego’s La Jolla Shores Beach on July 22, 2026. (Instagram/ akwaorca)
San Diego Fire-Rescue lifeguards and officers responded after a bystander saw the woman in the ocean, the station reported. Fire officials said the San Diego Police Department is handling the investigation.
The Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Waite’s identity and said both the cause and manner of death remain under investigation by San Diego police. Officials listed the place of injury as “Ocean – Undetermined,” with the date and time of injury still unknown.
Waite, who was originally from Anchorage, Alaska, played defender for Central Washington University in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. She appeared in 15 games, started eight of them, recorded two assists and logged 723 career minutes. In 2019, she was named to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic Team.
Friends told The California Post that Waite had been living in San Diego and had recently become engaged.
A view of the Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier at La Jolla Shores Beach in San Diego, California. Authorities said the body of 26-year-old Bryn Waite was found in the waters near the pier on July 22, 2026, and the cause and manner of her death remain under investigation. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
“I only met Bryn a couple of times, but each time she was incredibly sweet, genuinely kind and had such a beautiful spirit,” one friend told the outlet.
“She had a warmth about her that made people feel comfortable and cared for,” the friend said. “It’s clear that the light she carried touched so many lives. She will be deeply missed.”
Another friend, who said she knew Waite through church and had seen her recently, described her as “kind and sweet.”
“She listened and loved,” the friend told the Post. “She is leaving behind friends and family that will miss her dearly.”
Bryn Waite poses for a selfie in a photo shared on her public Instagram account. Waite, 26, was found dead in the waters off San Diego’s La Jolla Shores Beach on July 22, 2026. (Instagram/ akwaorca)
The friend added that Waite “loved animals and the beach.”
Waite’s public Instagram account included photos from Joshua Tree National Park and other travels. Her final post, shared three days before she was found, featured a nighttime photo with the caption, “It only gets better.”
Bryn Waite, a former Central Washington University soccer player, was found dead in the waters off San Diego’s La Jolla Shores Beach on July 22, 2026. (Instagram/ akwaorca)
Investigators have not said how Waite ended up in the water or whether foul play is suspected. The circumstances surrounding her death remain under investigation.
The Medical Examiner’s Office has not released an estimated time of death, and authorities have not said whether Waite had been reported missing before her body was discovered.
INC News has reached out to the San Diego Police Department, San Diego Fire-Rescue, the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office and Central Washington University and will update this story as more information becomes available.
