1 Dead, 2 Missing in Northern California Coastal Storm

SANTA CRUZ, MONTEREY COUNTIES, CALIFORNIA – In a harrowing sequence of events, one person has died, and two others remain missing after large waves, driven by a high surf warning, battered the Northern California coastline on Monday.

Sunset State Beach in Santa Cruz County, where emergency crews from California State Parks and Fire responded to reports of a man trapped under debris around 11:30 a.m. The man, overwhelmed by debris washed ashore by a massive wave, was rescued but later passed away in the hospital.

The National Weather Service had earlier issued a high surf warning, extending through noon Tuesday, for areas including San Francisco, the North Bay coast, the Peninsula, Monterey Bay, and Big Sur, warning of waves reaching up to 30 to 35 feet.

The impact of these waves was felt further when, around 12:45 p.m., a portion of the Santa Cruz wharf collapsed, plunging three construction workers into the water. Lifeguards managed to rescue two of them, while the third independently made it out of the surf.

In Monterey County, the situation turned dire at Marina State Beach, where a man went missing after being swept away by the high surf around noon. Despite the valiant efforts of bystanders and a subsequent search involving the U.S. Coast Guard and California Highway Patrol’s Air unit, the search was called off at 2 p.m. due to worsening conditions. The identity of the missing man has not been disclosed.

Further south, in Pebble Beach, another individual was reported missing after being swept off rocks into the water on Ocean Road. Cal Fire launched a search, which was suspended due to hazardous sea conditions, with plans for a recovery operation once the weather permits.

In the North Bay, the Sonoma County Fire District reported a rescue operation at Scotty’s Creek around 12:30 p.m., where three individuals were swept away by a wave. One was found clinging to rocks, while the other two were rescued after being carried upstream. Of these, two were hospitalized, and one was released at the scene.

Authorities are urging extreme caution along the coast, emphasizing the dangers of high surf and the unpredictable nature of these natural phenomena. Updates on the search and rescue operations are expected as conditions change.