Risk of Sneaker Waves Expected Thursday Along Northwest California Beaches, Says NWS

Beachgoers should use caution on Thursday, December 11, as the National Weather Service in Eureka is warning of a moderate risk of sneaker waves along the Northwest California coast from Del Norte through Humboldt and Mendocino counties. The Beach Hazard Statement will be in effect from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to an alert issued yesterday by the agency.

Forecasters say a mid-period swell will send waves surging much farther up the beach than expected, even when the ocean appears calm. Sneaker waves—large, powerful waves that seem to arrive without warning—can knock people off their feet and pull them into frigid, rough water.

The Weather Service cautions that calm surf can be misleading. “Don’t be fooled by an ocean that looks calm,” the agency notes. “A sneaker wave can strike after 30 minutes of smaller waves.”  They warn, “Never turn your back on the ocean.”

Safety Tips (NWS Eureka):

• Avoid jetties, rocks, and outcroppings—these areas become extremely dangerous when a sneaker wave hits.
• Keep children and pets within arm’s reach and far from the surf zone.
• If a pet is swept in, do not follow it into the water; dogs often make it out on their own, while people do not.

Below are just a few of the tragedies or near tragedies caused by rogue waves on the North Coast:

• In late November of 2012, after a wave pulled their dog in to the water, three members of the close-knit Kuljian family lost their lives trying to save the dog and each other.
• In 2018, an HSU student was swept to his death by a sneaker wave off the north Jetty.
• In 2019, a sneaker wave swept a man on vacation to his death in front of his wife and children on his birthday.
• A Southern California educator, David Reyes Juarez, was swept into the waves of the Mendocino Headlands and died on January 2, 2021.
• In July of 2021, two Georgia youths narrowly escaped drowning after a sneaker wave snatched them from rocks at Shelter Cove.
•  In January of 2023, a woman was badly injured when she was hit by a large log carried by a sneaker wave in the Shelter Cove area. Her husband and child were also hit by the wave.
• In March of this year, a 30-year-old man was swept into the ocean by a sneaker wave on the North Jetty.
• In October of this year, a 74-year-old man was badly injured after being swept off the North Jetty.