Sneakerwave — Northern Monterey Bay, California

2024-07-16 · Northern Monterey Bay, California

Event narrative

A sneaker wave killed a couple from San Jose who were standing along West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz. The couple stood on a rock to take pictures when the wave hit the rock. A rescue swimmer pulled the victims onto a boat, but was unable to revive the couple.

Wider weather episode

A sneaker wave killed a couple from San Jose who were standing along West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz. The couple stood on a rock to take pictures when the wave hit the rock. A rescue swimmer pulled the victims onto a boat, but was unable to revive the couple. At the time of the incident, the Point Sur buoy reported a southwesterly swell around 2 ft at 17 seconds, and northwesterly wind waves around 2 feet at 7 seconds.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1185510. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.