High Surf in Northern Monterey Bay, California

A boat carrying six people, two adults and their four children, capsized off Steamer Lane near Santa Cruz around 11:45 AM on February 6. The children were wearing life vests, but the parents were not. Around ten surfers, one of whom was 14, helped to rescue the family and bring them to safety; patrol boats and ambulances arrived within minutes. The people were taken to a hospital and recovered. At the time of the incident, buoy 46236 reported swell waves of 8 ft at 16.7 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.