A 24-year-old woman is missing after friends believe she was swept away at Panther Beach in Santa Cruz County. Three drownings have already occurred at the beach this year.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said it responded to reports of the missing person, identified at Senah Park, at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 8.
“An extensive search began last night, involving drones, ground crews, and helicopters,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “Our Search and Rescue team has also been activated, and search efforts will continue throughout the day, including boats and aerial resources.”
Cal Fire’s Santa Cruz/San Mateo unit said four people had gone through a “keyhole” and became trapped as the tide rose. Panther Beach features a cove with a natural arch on the shoreline that leads to an adjacent beach that has no other exit point.
The missing person “was not able to escape and was believed to have been swept out to sea,” Cal Fire said.
The Santa Cruz coastline experienced a rising swell and rising tide on Sunday evening. According to Surfline, the swell between sundown at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. rose from 8-10 feet to 10-15 feet. Plus, the tide was rising from -0.5 feet at 3:49 p.m. to 4.1 feet at 11 p.m. That does not include the extra 12-18 inches of sea level on top of the tides due to El Niño conditions.
“Ocean conditions along our coastline can change in an instant, turning a scenic beach visit into a life-threatening situation,” Cal Fire wrote.
Earlier this year, on June 10, two college students drowned after being swept off Panther Beach. Then, in October, two more people who were fishing got swept off the same beach. One survived, while the other died.
