A Fijian rugby player drowned in the Russian River in Santa Rosa, California last week.
Nasoni “Toni” Tuitoga, 28, and his friends sought relief from the heat and went to the Russian River on Wednesday for a swim. Unfortunately, the excursion turned tragic when Tuitoga was pulled down by a whirlpool and never resurfaced.
Following an extensive two-day search, Tuitoga’s body was recovered on Friday afternoon and was later 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,” the post read.
Speaking to KTVU FOX 2 TV News, his mother, Lavenia Cavora Tuinaceva Tuitoga, expressed her grief, stating, “I’m going to miss him so much, his smile.”
Friend Joe Quai Hoi witnessed 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,” recalled Quai Hoi.
Tuitoga’s mother mentioned that his friends attempted to rescue him, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
“They (search and rescue) said when they found him, he was like 30–40 feet away from where everyone said he disappeared,” said Quai Hoi.
Lavenia Tuitoga recounted the moment an officer came to her door with the news. “They put his cell phone on the table and then I just started crying. I knew,” she said.
Reflecting on her loss, she added, “I just keep on asking God to give us peace in our hearts.”
The Tuitoga family is originally from Naivicula, Wainibuka in Tailevu, Fiji.