Stay well back from the water's edge at Bay Area beaches this weekend. The National Weather Service in San Francisco has issued a beach hazards statement from 7 a.m. Saturday through Monday evening. It warns of sneaker waves, strong rip currents and breaking waves up to 16 feet.
Where it applies
The statement covers the coastal North Bay, including Point Reyes National Seashore, the San Francisco Peninsula coast, San Francisco, and the Monterey Bay and Big Sur coasts. The weather service says "dangerous conditions are forecast along the shoreline."
San Francisco and Monterey Bay are also under a coastal flood advisory that lasts until 3 p.m. Tuesday. Forecasters say low-lying areas near the shore and tidal waterways could see up to 1.4 feet of water. That could flood parking lots, parks, roads and coastal trails, and cut off access to some low beaches. At the San Francisco tide gauge, high tide is forecast at 7.3 feet around 11:50 a.m. Saturday and 12:18 p.m. Sunday, about 1.4 feet above normal. Forecasters say up to 1.2 feet of that comes from storm surge on top of the usual tide.
Why sneaker waves catch people
"It looks really flat for 20, 30, 40 minutes, and all of a sudden a big set of waves will come in," California State Parks lifeguard supervisor Byran Kine told KSBW. He said that if you're near the waterline, you should move farther back. David Bodine, marine safety captain for the Santa Cruz Fire Department, told the station to "stay far away from the water" unless you're an experienced ocean swimmer or surfer.
Fewer lifeguards
Summer staffing is over. Kine said State Parks guards are spread across 36 miles of shoreline and may be 10 to 15 minutes away from any given beach. Bodine said the city of Santa Cruz planned to have two lifeguards on duty this weekend and can call in more trained off-season staff if conditions require it.
Farther north, the weather service in Eureka has a separate sneaker wave warning for the Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte coasts from late Saturday night into Monday.