{"id":15217,"date":"2026-06-18T18:07:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T18:07:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=15217"},"modified":"2026-06-18T18:07:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T18:07:35","slug":"ocean-rescuer-explains-deadly-mistakes-amid-california-20-foot-swell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=15217","title":{"rendered":"Ocean Rescuer Explains Deadly Mistakes Amid California 20-Foot Swell"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published June 18, 2026 11:07AM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Amid a historically large June swell along the California coast, at least three people have drowned, and another <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/reel\/1034261535824681\/\">100 have been rescued<\/a>.\u00a0Now, officials are urging beachgoers to use more caution.<\/p>\n<p>With National Weather Service (NWS) beach hazard <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/forecast.weather.gov\/showsigwx.php?warnzone=CAZ552&amp;warncounty=CAC059&amp;firewxzone=CAZ552&amp;local_place1=Huntington+Beach+CA&amp;product1=Beach+Hazards+Statement\">advisories<\/a> in effect for parts of California through the weekend, <em>Outside<\/em> spoke with a long-time water rescue expert for more on how beachgoers can stay safe at a time when the ocean is especially dangerous.<\/p>\n<p>A historic swell hit the Golden State last week, with high tides and waves upwards of 20 feet tall battering the coast from Los Angeles to San Francisco. High surf in the region can hurt or even sweep away inexperienced swimmers, creating rip currents that drag people away from shore.<\/p>\n<p>Ryan Peters, division chief and a ten-year member of the water rescue team at the Central Fire District of Santa Cruz County, told <em>Outside<\/em> that dangerous swell conditions can mean the difference between life and death.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOver the last few days, we\u2019ve had close to a dozen calls for rescues and safety checks, assisting swimmers and surfers,\u201d Peters said. It\u2019s often not a single individual\u2019s fitness that catalyzes a rescue, he added, but rather ocean conditions that can put people in trouble.<\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"fp-remove\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FCentralfiredistrict%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0s4vHZQ3Yb8tiTMFb3YNmv5msR83fzpGMjaEpoCC8hHPwcYDKHhqQKYpDcCArkzE7l&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"250\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>A five-year-old girl went missing off the coast of Laguna Beach on the evening of June 9, after a wave hit her and sucked her out to sea, the U.S. Coast Guard <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.news.uscg.mil\/Press-Releases\/Article\/4514240\/coast-guard-suspends-search-for-missing-5-year-old-near-laguna-beach\/\">reported<\/a>. The current also pulled the girl\u2019s brother and mother into the water. Bystanders rescued both, but failed to find the girl. Rescuers searched for more than 30 hours and eventually found her body on the morning of June 11, about one-quarter of a mile from where she was initially swept into the ocean, according to the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lagunabeachcity.net\/Home\/Components\/News\/News\/1541\/56\">City of Laguna Beach<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>On June 10, two young women at a beach just north of Santa Cruz also drowned after they were swept into the ocean by high surf. A few days later, on June 14, the Central Fire team saved two other swimmers trapped by a high tide at another beach near Santa Cruz.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn many of these calls, we end up going out for one individual, like a surfer in distress, and we find that a lot of other people in the ocean at that time also need assistance getting into shore,\u201d Peters said. \u201cThose are the times where, operationally, we can count on not just one incident but multiple incidents.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>The Ocean Can Be Unpredictable Even For the Fittest Swimmer<\/h2>\n<p>Peters said his team is\u00a0most commonly called out to rescue surfers, who are often physically fit, but may not \u201cappreciate the significance of the conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven if they\u2019re somewhat competent and strong in the water, people can get in trouble in those kinds of conditions,\u201d he explained. \u201cSo go out with a buddy, let people know where you\u2019re going ahead of time, and never turn your back on the ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Peters said that beachgoers are often swept into the ocean by waves while recreating in rocky or cliffside areas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople go down to some elevated point above the ocean, one that\u2019s low enough to where it\u2019s gonna be affected by high surf activity, to take a picture or something,\u201d he said. \u201cThey turn their backs on the ocean, don\u2019t appreciate the significance of the swell and the conditions, and a big wave comes up. It doesn\u2019t take much to knock somebody off their feet, and if the surface is slippery, it\u2019s really easy for people to get dragged into the water.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>How to Keep Children Safe at the Beach<\/h2>\n<p>Peters said that caretakers of children should ensure the kids are strong swimmers before taking them to the beach.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGet kids comfortable in the water,\u201d he said. \u201cGet them doing swim lessons as early as possible. But also, don\u2019t let them swim alone. Keep an eye on your kids at the beach, and if you\u2019re taking kids to the beach, go to an area with lifeguards if you can.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>What About Rip Currents?<\/h2>\n<p>Peters said that, aside from waves knocking swimmers out to sea, many swimmers run into trouble when rip currents catch them. Rip currents are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water that flow from the shore straight back out to sea.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not always easy to spot a rip current, and asking someone familiar with the area can help distinguish them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re at a guarded beach, ask the lifeguard about rip currents,\u201d he explained. \u201cSome will be marked, and the lifeguards will usually know about rip currents in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you do get caught in a rip current, don\u2019t try to fight it, said Peters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t outswim a rip current, even if you\u2019re a strong swimmer,\u201d he explained. \u201cThey will tire you out. The best thing is to stay calm, float if you can, get your breath, relax, and then start swimming parallel to shore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A swimmer should be able to determine when they are out of the rip current.\u00a0\u201cYou just won\u2019t be moving further out to sea,\u201d Peters said. \u201cAt that point, you can start swimming into shore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>For more on how to survive a rip tide, read, Everything You Know About Surviving Rip Currents Is Wrong.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/p>\n<section id=\"\" class=\"content-card rounded-xl px-base-loose pt-base-loose pb-loose shadow-sm shadow-black\/10\">\n<h2>How to Identify Dangerous Ocean Conditions<\/h2>\n<p>Before heading to the beach, three marine conditions can help determine whether the ocean may be particularly dangerous, according to Peters.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Significant swell:<\/strong> The size of the waves. Major swells, like the one that hit California in recent days, are generated by distant storm systems.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Short period:<\/strong> A shortened interval between waves. When waves hit back-to-back, swimmers have less time to recover or breathe between impacts.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Building tide:<\/strong> A tide transitioning from low to high, which cuts off escape routes along cliff bases.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!-- --><\/section>\n<p><span hidden=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-adventure\/water-activities\/california-historic-swell-ocean-safety-rescue\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Published June 18, 2026 11:07AM Amid a historically large June swell along the California coast, at least three people have drowned, and another 100 have been rescued.\u00a0Now, officials are urging beachgoers to use more caution. With National Weather Service (NWS) beach hazard advisories in effect for parts of California through the weekend, Outside spoke with<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wild-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15217\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}