High Surf — Southern Monterey Bay and Big Sur Coast, California

2025-11-14 to 2025-11-16 · Southern Monterey Bay and Big Sur Coast, California

Event narrative

Two people died after a family of four was swept out to sea at Garrapata Beach on November 14th by a wave estimated at 15 to 20 feet high. An off-duty state park lifeguard noticed the family in distress around 12:50 PM, and pulled a father and mother towards shore. A seven-year old girl, the daughter of the couple, was swept away. The father received CPR and was sent to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The mother was also transported to a hospital and had signs of hypothermia. The search for the 7-year girl continued into the following weekend, and she was eventually found 100 yards offshore at around 1:25 PM on Sunday. At the time of the incident, an offshore buoy (46239) reported a water temperature of 59 degrees and waves of 13.7 feet from the west-northwest at a dominant period of 14 seconds.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1294924. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.