A stretch of calm water at the beach might last 20 minutes, and then a wave surges 150 feet up the dry sand with enough force to knock an adult off their feet.
The National Weather Service has a beach hazards statement in effect through 11 p.m. Monday night for the coast from Sonoma County to Big Sur, including Point Reyes National Seashore, San Francisco and the Monterey Bay area. The agency’s Eureka office issued a separate statement for southern-facing beaches in southwestern Humboldt and coastal Mendocino counties.
The culprit is long-period southerly swell generated by tropical activity in the Eastern Pacific, including Hurricane Marie. That distant energy translates into breaking waves around 10 feet, strong rip currents and the sneaker waves that make this coastline so unforgiving. Sneaker waves arrive without warning after deceptively quiet stretches, and they can sweep children, pets and even heavy driftwood logs into the sea…