The California man still has not been found after being swept away Sunday morning.
Benito Flores was helping his cousin, a pastor, baptize a man in the ocean near Santa Maria. Pastor Maurigro Cervantes tells KEYT the big wave just came and took him.
"I tried to take him out, he was heavy and then another big wave came." Cervantes added.
Search and rescue teams immediately began searching. They had help from helicopters and the Coast Guard, but he still had not been found as of Sunday night.
It was the second wave that took Flores out beyond saving.