Man dies after large wave traps him under debris on California beach

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — A man died Monday after a large wave trapped him beneath debris on a California beach, likely related to the storm pummeling the West Coast that brought high surf and flooding to central California, officials said.

First responders were called to Sunset State Beach, a state park, about 11:30 a.m. Monday. The man was pronounced dead at a hospital. Other details were not available, and his name has not been released.

The storm’s high surf also likely pulled a man into the Pacific Ocean around noon Monday at Marina State Beach along the Monterey Bay, authorities said. Strong currents and high waves forced searchers to abandon their efforts roughly two hours later as conditions worsened. The man remained missing Monday evening.

In Santa Cruz, a pier under construction partially collapsed and fell into the ocean, taking three people with it. Two people were rescued by lifeguards, and a third swam to safety. No one was seriously injured, Mayor Fred Keeley said.

SEE IT: Part of the Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed Monday after being battered by waves amid a High Surf Warning along the California coast.

Video shows at least one person rescued by Jet Ski. Officials said three people fell into the water, but that they were all rescued. pic.twitter.com/XGth3L75p8

— ABC News (@ABC) December 23, 2024

Residents were warned to stay away from low-lying areas near the beaches around the Santa Cruz Wharf, about 70 miles south of San Francisco, as the storm rapidly gained strength.

The mayor said that section of the wharf had been damaged over time. The structure was in the middle of a $4 million renovation following destructive storms last winter.

“It’s a catastrophe for those down at the end of the wharf,” said David Johnston, owner of Venture Quest Kayaking, who was allowed onto the pier to check on his business.

Tony Elliot, the head of the Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Department, estimated that about 150 feet of the end of the wharf fell into the water around 12:45 p.m. It was evacuated immediately and will remain closed indefinitely.

Some of the wharf’s pilings are still in the ocean and remain “serious, serious hazards” to boats, the mayor said. Each piling weighs hundreds of pounds and is being pushed by powerful waves.

“You are risking your life, and those of the people that would need to try and save you, by getting in or too close to the water,” the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office said on the social platform X.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s has been briefed and the state’s Office of Emergency Services is coordinating with local officials, his office said.

A powerful, hurricane-force Pacific low pressure system has brought large waves to the western U.S, some of which have proven to be destructive with news breaking today about a piece of the Santa Cruz Pier breaking off.

The nearest buoy to the point of occurrence observed a peak… pic.twitter.com/auUpU6Cr1e

— Anthony Duarte (@AnthonyDuarte03) December 24, 2024

In the city of Capitola, police ordered guests at a waterfront hotel to evacuate if they had ocean-facing units. The county sheriff’s office ordered beachfront residents in nearby Rio Del Mar to evacuate as well.

Forecasters warned that storm swells would continue to increase throughout the day.

“We are anticipating that what is coming toward us is more serious than what was there this morning,” the mayor said.

Ocean swells along California’s central coast could reach 60 feet as the Pacific storm gains strength through Monday, the weather service said.

“A rapidly developing storm will bring hurricane force winds to the areas well offshore of the Pacific Northwest tonight,” the weather service’s Ocean Prediction Center said on X.

The end of the pier that broke off had been shut down during renovations. The portion, which included public restrooms and the closed Dolphin restaurant, floated about half a mile down the coast and wedged itself at the bottom of the San Lorenzo River.

Those who fell into the water were two engineers and a project manager who were inspecting the end of the wharf, officials said. No members of the public were in the area.

Building inspectors were looking at the rest of the Santa Cruz Wharf’s structural integrity.

Monday’s collapse came about a year after the Seacliff State Beach pier just down the coast was battered beyond repair by a heavy winter storm.

Farther up the West Coast, dangerous surf conditions and waves up to 30 feet were expected from the central Oregon coast up through southwestern Washington. Winds could peak near 80 mph with a high surf warning in effect until 10 p.m. Monday, forecasters said.

In a post on X, the National Weather Service office in Portland, Ore., said “it will likely go down as some of the highest surf this winter.