The National Weather Service warned that gigantic waves up to 30 feet, and possibly higher, are expected to slam the Northern California coast beginning Friday, Nov. 13, and continue through the weekend. The most dangerous surf is forecast late Friday into Saturday, when even experienced swimmers could get into trouble.
Joe Merchant said conditions would be “really dangerous at the water” from the Central Coast and the Bay Area up through Northern California, and said waves may top 30 feet in some spots. Dial Hoang said the surf could reach 20 to 30 feet along the Sonoma County coast and affect the entire shoreline there, including Bodega Bay.
That warning matters now because the threat is not just theoretical. A woman was swept out to sea near a beach in Santa Cruz County on Sunday after sneaker waves and rip currents combined, and the U.S. Coast Guard suspended the search for her Tuesday morning. A beach hazards statement had already blanketed the region last weekend, and another one was likely before Friday.
The swell is being driven by storms moving south from the Pacific Northwest, while water expansion tied to El Niño has already made waves stronger than usual. Rain is also likely to begin Friday in the North Bay, East Bay, South Bay and Peninsula, adding another layer of risk to already rough water.
At Spud Point Marina in Bodega Bay, Christopher Ohanian said staff were inspecting docks, checking boat lines and notifying customers about the dangerous conditions. He said older docks were being modified for unusually high tides and storm surge, but said the immediate weekend threat was not his biggest worry. The previous weekend, he said, caused damage by ripping at the marina’s pilings and breaking docks free, leaving about 10 boats pushed against rocks and neighboring docks. For him, that is the warning behind this one: the coast may be bracing now, but the harsher storms of the month may still be ahead.
