67-year-old dad falls off his paddleboard and drowns in the Outer Banks, officials say
_fitted.png "Matt Tappero, 67, leaves behind his wife and daughter after he died in a drowning incident Aug. 27, his obituary says.")
A man drowned after falling off his paddleboard into the ocean, North Carolina officials say.
Matthew Tappero, 67, was paddleboarding early on Saturday, Aug. 27, in Nags Head when a beachgoer saw him fall off his board. When Tappero didn’t resurface, the “good Samaritan” called 911 around 7 a.m., according to a statement from Nags Head Fire and Rescue.
When first responders arrived, another paddleboarder was already trying to help Tappero. First responders pulled the unconscious Tappero to the shore.
Once Tappero was out of the water, responders attempted to revive him but were unsuccessful, Fire and Rescue said.
Tappero, from Kitty Hawk in the Outer Banks, leaves behind his wife and daughter, as well as extended family, co-workers and “so, so many friends,” according to his obituary.
“Matt had an infinite zest for life and adventure. He was passionate about cooking, any kind of boating, fishing, scuba diving, paddle boarding (he loved to catch a good wave), sailing, water skiing, wake boarding, snow skiing, flying, hiking and golfing,” the obituary reads. “Above everything else, his family was most important to him.”
A celebration of life was held for Tappero on Wednesday, Aug. 31.
Nags Head is a town in the Outer Banks barrier islands.
This story was originally published August 31, 2022 at 5:30 PM with the headline "67-year-old dad falls off his paddleboard and drowns in the Outer Banks, officials say."
