Santa Cruz city beaches and the municipal wharf are closed from 10 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Sunday because of dangerous high surf, Lookout Santa Cruz and KTVU reported, as the National Weather Service warned of breaking waves of 25 to 35 feet or larger along parts of the coast.
The closures were still in effect Saturday. The Mercury News, citing the Santa Cruz Sentinel, updated its account at 8:05 a.m. Saturday and said evacuation warnings had been issued in the Capitola area along the coast. A Sentinel photograph showed waves crashing over the Santa Cruz Harbor jetty on Friday morning around high tide. Officials said the end of the closures depends on weather and ocean conditions.
Lookout reported that Cowell Beach has been closed since a whale stranded there Thursday and will stay closed until further notice. The wharf kept regular hours Friday before the 10 p.m. shutdown. The city said the wharf is structurally sound and is being closed to keep people away from hazardous ocean conditions, not because of a new structural failure.
That reassurance comes with recent history attached. On Dec. 23, 2024, Lookout noted, waves tore about 150 feet off the end of the wharf and dropped a city worker into Monterey Bay. The wharf reopened Jan. 4, 2025, but repairs took more than a year, and the city marked the end of the restoration work in April 2026.
Santa Cruz County urged people to stay out of the water and away from beaches, rocks, jetties, coastal cliffs and other exposed areas, warning that surf and high tides could flood coastal access points and low-lying areas and force more beach and parking-lot closures. "These conditions can cost you your life — and put the lives of first responders at risk when they are called to rescue you," the county said in a public safety warning quoted by Lookout. Santa Cruz Fire Chief Rob Oatey made a similar appeal in the city's announcement, saying that entering the water or approaching hazardous coastal areas also endangers marine safety personnel who may have to attempt a rescue.
Strong winds were expected to pick up Friday as well, with gusts strong enough to snap branches and bring down power lines, the county said. Officials asked people not to go to the shoreline to watch or photograph the waves. Residents can follow National Weather Service Bay Area updates and local alerts at CruzAware.org, Lookout reported.
City and county officials said they would keep monitoring conditions and announce any changes if the closures need to be extended or modified after early Sunday.