Rip Current — San Francisco Peninsula Coast, California

2023-11-25 to 2023-11-26 · San Francisco Peninsula Coast, California

Event narrative

A rip current at Martin's Beach in Half Moon Bay swept two people, a 5-year-old girl and a 54-year-old man, out to sea on Saturday November 25. The two had gotten too close to the water, lost their footing, and were swept out by the current. The timing of the event is unclear, but the Coast Guard search started at 1:20 PM. The girl was recovered and taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The man remains missing, and the search was called off the next day.

Wider weather episode

A rip current at Martin's Beach in Half Moon Bay swept four people out to sea on Saturday November 25. The four had gotten too close to the water, lost their footing, and went into the water. Two of the people self-rescued, the other two, a 5-year-old girl and her grandfather (a 54-year-old man), were swept out to sea. The timing of the event is unclear, but the Coast Guard search started at 1:20 PM. The girl was recovered and taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The man remains missing, and the search was called off the next day. At the time of the incident, the SF Bar buoy (46237) reported wave heights of 7 to 8 feet at 18 to 20 seconds. Winds were offshore (out of the E/NE) generally around 10 mph near the Half Moon Bay coastline.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1141938. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.