Two killed after being swept off rocks in Santa Cruz
Two people died after they were swept into the ocean by a “sneaker wave” in Santa Cruz this week, according to authorities.
Multiple witnesses reported that two people were swept off the beach rock at West Cliff Drive near David Way about 6:18 p.m. on Tuesday, the Santa Cruz Fire Department said in a news release. The two were found floating face down in the ocean by the time emergency responders arrived on the scene.
Rescue swimmers from Santa Cruz Fire and the Santa Cruz City Lifeguard were able to reach the two people in the water and transfer them to a Harbor Patrol Rescue boat, authorities said.
Medical crew members aboard the boat performed CPR on the victims as the boat made its way back to the harbor, but the two people could not be resuscitated, authorities said.
It’s unclear how long the two were in the water and the official cause of death has not been disclosed. The fire department said the victims were a man and a woman, according to local news station KION.
Emergency officials urged people never to turn their back on the ocean and to always be aware of tidal conditions.
Southerly swells and rising tides can produce “sneaker waves” — potentially deadly waves that surge further up the beach than expected — that can sweep beachgoers into the ocean, according to the Santa Cruz Fire Department.
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