Rescuers scramble to save father and son swept out to sea, California officials say

On the afternoon of Jan. 14, seven emergency teams descended on a beach near Mori Point, according to Bay City News on SF Gate. A father and son struggled just off the coast amid rough wintry waters.

Rescuers included two fire companies, a rescue unit, a California Highway Patrol helicopter, state park workers and Coast Guard air and water teams, according to the news outlet.

While EMTs waited on shore, a helicopter flew out and hovered over the distressed pair. According to the KTVU broadcast, rescue swimmers jumped out of the helicopter and pulled the son to safety inside the helicopter. Then, it was the father’s turn. The two were rushed to emergency responders on shore, then to San Francisco General Hospital, about 10 miles away.

Their rescue comes on the heels of “sneaker wave” warnings in the Bay Area.

“Sneaker waves are deadly, larger-than-average swells that can suddenly and without warning surge dozens of feet higher up the beach than expected, overtaking the unwary,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Sneaker waves are known to come out of nowhere and scoop up humans and boulders right off the beach and pull them into the ocean, according to KRON.

“For much of the West Coast, sneaker waves kill more people than all other weather hazards combined,” NOAA says.

This story was originally published January 16, 2024 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Rescuers scramble to save father and son swept out to sea, California officials say."