Pacifica Surf Drags Two Into The Ocean; One Still Missing

PACIFICA, CA — Hazardous surf levels along Pacifica Beach swept two people out into the ocean Tuesday, according to the North County Fire Authority. One woman was recovered by two bystanders, but a man remained missing after U.S. Coast Guard conducted a search.

The North County Fire Authority tweeted Tuesday that they were searching for the man in the area of Beach Boulevard and Paloma Avenue just before 8 a.m. U.S. Coast Guard personnel from San Francisco, Pacifica police and AMR all collaborated in the search for the missing man, who was seen standing on rocks before the wave overtook him.

The Fire Authority responded with two engines, a truck and a rescue unit, along with Battalion Chief Jeff Huntze at the scene.

"Yesterday (Tuesday) the waves were really big," Huntze said. "It was so treacherous that even a strong swimmer would have a really tough time."

A Coast Guard helicopter flew overhead searching for the victim, authorities said. Waves were breaking 14 to 20 feet high, officials warned.

Petty Officer Taylor Bacon of the Coast Guard said that the conditions were dangerous for their rescue team.

He said the San Mateo County Fire Department, which also responded to the scene, had a visual on the person in the water, but the whitewash and tall waves made it difficult for the Coast Guard to see the person from the air.

After searching for about five hours, rescue teams had not located the man and the search was suspended around 1:45 p.m. Tuesday.

"At that time, we were running low on fuel so our helicopter went back to base to refuel," Bacon said. "At that point they had lost visual on the member and the scene became too dangerous for responders to be in the vicinity, so we suspended our search." Bacon said on Wednesday that there were no plans for the Coast Guard to resume the search.

The woman was walking her dog on Linda Mar Beach around 2 p.m. when a "sneaker wave" carried her out to sea.

Huntze said a man who was flying a drone nearby saw the woman as the wave took her under. He landed the drone and waded into the water to assist, tumbling with the woman for a couple minutes before another bystander got in the water to help.

Together, the two bystanders pulled the woman out of the water and onto the sand.

"Those two citizens honestly saved her life," Huntze said. The North County Fire Authority received the call about the woman at 1:19 p.m. Tuesday. A team evaluated the woman's condition, then transported her to a nearby hospital for further evaluation.

Huntze advised people to stay diligent on the beaches, especially on days with high surf advisories.

"For folks that don't live around here, we always tell them not to turn their back on the surf, even if it's a small wave," Huntze said.

A high surf advisory was in effect until Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

"The beach can be a dangerous place," the agency tweeted. "The North County Fire Authority wants to remind everyone of the high surf advisory and to take all the appropriate precautions to remain safe near the coastline."

Coast Guard helicopter searching for water rescue victim....more details to follow pic.twitter.com/5L5gfhPxxO
— North County Fire Authority (@NoCoFire) December 8, 2020

Bay City News and Patch Editor Kat Schuster contributed to this report.