Surf photographer Randy Dible reveals his fateful connection with Callum Robinson

When surf photographer Randy Dible offered Callum Robinson his most “sacred” surfing recommendation, he had no idea it would change the Aussie’s fate.

Professional surf photographer Randy Dible thought he was doing Callum Robinson a favour when he shared his cherished surfing location.

The Aussie lacrosse champ and avid surfer had stopped by Dible’s surf photography gallery in San Diego a few weeks ago.

“He liked this one print and we got to talking and I found out he was my next door neighbour and so I got the print made for him and went to his house, gave it to him, had a couple of beers and got to know him a little bit,” Mr Dible said.

“He said his brother was coming in from Australia, and where’s the best place to go [surfing]? I said here’s a sweet spot, it’s less than five hours away. I drew a little map on a napkin and he asked me if I wanted to go and I said sure, that sounds like fun. But then my work called and I had to cancel.”

Callum Robinson pictured two weeks ago with a photo by Randy Dible, who recommended the surfing spot in Baja California. Picture: Randy Dible/Instagram

“I feel bad,” Mr Dible said. But he describes the location where three bodies presumed to be the Australian Robinson brothers and their American friend were found, as a generational natural paradise.

La Bocana Beach, Santo Tomas delegation in Ensenada has been a family holiday favourite for 60 years, Mr Dible said.

“My grandparents were going to that same place, their friends, the elite San Diego people would gather there for Thanksgiving for a week and hunt quail, eat lobster, dance through the forest every year. All through the ’50s, 60s, 70s … it was a pristine valley.

“That place is sacred to me. Every relative I have I’ve taken there. I’ve been going there since I was a baby. I’ve brought my family there many times, brought my children there, brought my friends. Pretty much every time I pass there I stop and camp for a night. I was there last May and camped by myself. I was the only one there.”

Mr Dible thinks Callum Robinson asked him along on the trip because it would be fun, not necessarily because he felt insecure about his safety.

Now, Mr Dible wonders how things could have turned out differently if he had not had to work.

“Maybe I could’ve saved him. Who knows?” he said.

Mexican police made more arrests after Australian surfers Jake and Callum Robinson went missing and a burnt out car was found at a ranch several kilometres from the search site. Picture: Supplied

Mexican authorities are waiting for DNA tests to officially confirm the identity of three bodies found in a well, two of which are believed to be Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson.

Baja California state Attorney-General Maria Elena Andrade Ramirez said early evidence suggested Callum, 33, and Jake Robinson, 30, died together with their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad, 30, during a bungled robbery.

Rescue workers, forensics, and prosecutors work at a well where human remains were found near La Bocana Beach, Santo Tomas delegation, in Ensenada, Baja California State, Mexico. Picture: AFP

When it down comes to what actually happened, Mr Dible also speculates that it was a random robbery gone wrong.

“It looks to me like the guys were camping out and those guys tried to rob them. Callum being a real big guy … when I shook his hand he had a crushing handshake, [he was a] big, really in-shape guy, he probably put up a big fight and they killed him.”

Mr Dible thinks Callum’s 6’4” stature and athleticism might have gone against him at that moment.

“Most Mexican guys are pretty small, so he probably wouldn’t have been pushed around,” Mr Dible said.

“This is a really stupid crime because this valley is 17kms long with steep mountain sides, there’s only one dirt road that goes through the middle. You steal that truck you’re gonna be pretty easy to locate. If you’re thinking about killing three men and taking their truck, which they didn’t even do, they burned the truck,” said Dible. “And then they found the cell phone … wouldn’t you throw that in the ocean as it’s the first thing you can track? These guys weren’t too bright.”

Australian Lacrosse player Callum Robinson. Picture: Facebook

Callum Robinson invited San Diego photographer Randy Dible on the trip. Picture: Supplied

But in his many decades of travelling through the region Mr Dible said he was never worried about becoming a target of crime. “I don’t feel unsafe travelling down there.”

“The cartels don’t usually target Americans at all. They’re feuding against themselves, their gangs.”

However, the crime rate in Baja California is higher that in Los Angeles or San Diego - according to Facebook user Al Yoter, who travels frequently in the region, Baja California “sees something like 2000-3000 homicides per year on average. San Diego county sees around 50-100. LA is around 300-400.”

But Mr Dible said he “knew exactly what had happened” as soon as he read reports of the burned out truck.

“They’re kind of ruthless down there, the way they kill their own. They’re frequently killing their own people, hanging bodies from freeways, disposing of them in vats of acid,” he said, referring to the many reports of cartel-connected violence. “I knew what happened.”

He thinks the alleged suspects saw “an opportune moment for them” when they came upon the camping surfers.

For those wondering if travellers should arm themselves before travelling to Mexico, the law specifically states that if you are “caught entering Mexico with any type of weapon, including firearms or ammunitions, you will face severe penalties, including prison time.” US-issued gun permits are not valid in Mexico.

Nevertheless, gun violence is high in Mexico, with firearms the leading cause of death for both male and female homicide victims, according to sources.

“Right now these cartels have taken over and they’re raising baby criminals,” Mr Dible said.

“There’s a new culture in Mexico where they glorify the drug gangs and they have ballads about them called narcocorridas.

“A lot of people are being raised like that, glorifying [violence]. Also a lot of the cops down there are corrupt, they’re part of the gangs. We always keep a 20-dollar bill in our sock because when you get pulled over … the police will shake you down. I’ve been shaken down many times.”

Ocean lover and surf photographer Randy Dible. Picture: Supplied

Mr Dible is not in touch with the parents of Callum and Jake Robinson, who are now believed to be in Mexico, having only met Callum three weeks ago at the gallery.

Asked if he would go back to camp near La Bocana Beach after what happened, he said “Yes I would, I would.

“There’s going to be more of a military presence in the area. It’s unfortunate because this is really going to hurt the tourism in this area.”

Mr Dible said he’s since been contacted by worried travellers asking him if they should travel to Mexico.

“There’s going to be a hysteria of people cancelling their trips because of this.”

Generally, Mexicans “are really nice people,” he said. “They’re not all criminals and I’ve travelled everywhere.”