A Fijian rugby player drowned in the Russian River in Santa Rosa, California last week.
Twenty-eight-year-old Nasoni “Toni” Tuitoga and his friends sought relief from the heat and went to the Russian River on Wednesday to swim. However, their outing turned tragic when Tuitoga was pulled down by a whirlpool and never resurfaced.
After two days of searching, crews found Tuitoga’s body on Friday afternoon. He was identified by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday.
Tuitoga was a member of the Santa Rosa Rugby Club, which honored him in a social media post: “It’s a sad day in our rugby community. We lost one of our players this week, Tony (Nasoni Tuitoga Jr.), and our team won’t be the same without his energy. Our condolences and prayers go out to his family and loved ones.”
Speaking to KTVU FOX 2 News, his mother, Lavenia Cavora Tuinaceva Tuitoga, said Nasoni was her youngest son. “I’m going to miss him so much, his smile,” she said.
Friend Joe Quai Hoi recounted witnessing Tuitoga jump into the water. “The crazy part was we were like yelling out at him when we saw him swimming around in circles like, ‘Hey, you OK?’ and he never really said anything back until he disappeared under the water,” Quai Hoi recalled.
Tuitoga’s mother said his friends tried to save him but were unable to. “They (search and rescue) said when they found him, he was like 30–40 feet away from where everyone said he disappeared,” Quai Hoi added.
Lavenia Tuitoga described the heartbreaking moment an officer gave her the news. “They put his cell phone on the table and then I just started crying. I knew,” she said. “I just keep on asking God to give us peace in our hearts.”
The Tuitoga family hails from Naivicula, Wainibuka in Tailevu.