High Surf in Northern Monterey Bay, California

The Coast Guard Sector San Francisco reported that watch standers received a report around 6:30 PM on February 6 for two surfers in the water calling for help around 600 feet from the Santa Cruz Lighthouse. Coast Guard air and marine resources, Santa Cruz Fire Department and Dispatch, and Civil Air Patrol assisted in the search. The search continued until the search was suspended around 8 AM February 7. No reports of missing surfers were received by local authorities or through social media outreach, it is presumed that the two surfers were able to self-rescue. At the time of the initial report, buoy 46236 reported swell waves of 11 feet at 14.6 seconds from the west, with wind waves of 4 ft at 9.9 seconds.

High surf conditions on February 6 resulted in two separate water rescue incidents off the coast of Santa Cruz. At 11:45 AM, surfers rescued a family of 6 from a boat that capsized off Steamer Lane. Later that day, the Coast Guard started a search at around 6:30 PM for two surfers who were seen going away from the water off the Santa Cruz Lighthouse. A High Surf Advisory was in effect for the day due to breaking waves of 17 to 22 feet. There was also a higher than normal tourist load for the region due to Super Bowl weekend activities in the San Jose and San Francisco areas.