High Surf — San Francisco Peninsula Coast, California

2024-01-14 · San Francisco Peninsula Coast, California

Event narrative

A dog and its owner were swept out to sea at Sharp Point near Pacifica. The dog was swept out and the owner went in after the dog. The dog made it back to shore, but the owner struggled to return. Video taken at the scene showed rescue swimmers assisting the man onto shore, and the owner was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure.

Wider weather episode

A father and son were pulled from the ocean near Pacifica on January 14. At 12:52 PM, two fire companies, a rescue unit, a CHP helicopter, state park personnel and Coast Guard air and water units responded to the two people struggling in the water north of Mori Point. Rescue swimmers pulled the two people from the water and took them to ambulances, which transported them to San Francisco General Hospital. At the time of the rescue, the San Francisco buoy (46026) reported waves of 2.7 meters (9 feet) at 15 seconds, with a water temperature of 12.5 degrees Celsius (54.5 degrees Fahrenheit).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1147719. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.