Santa Cruz Wharf Collapse: 3 fall into the ocean after California pier partially collapses due to heavy surf from major storm

SANTA CRUZ, California
AP
—

Two people were rescued and a third swam to safety after a California pier under construction partially collapsed and fell into the ocean Monday as the state’s central coast was battered by heavy surf from a major storm expected to bring hurricane-force winds to seas from Pacific Northwest, authorities said.

Residents were warned to stay away from low-lying areas near the beaches around Santa Cruz Wharf, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of San Francisco, as the storm quickly gathered strength.

“You are risking your life and those of the people who should try to save you by getting in or too close to the water,” the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office said on social platform X.

Lifeguards rescued two people from the water, Santa Cruz Fire Department officials said. No one had serious injuries, Mayor Fred Keeley said.

The mayor said the part of the pier that collapsed had been damaged over time. The structure was in the midst of a $4 million renovation after devastating storms last winter.

“It’s a disaster for those down at the end of the wharf,” said David Johnston, owner of Venture Quest Kayaking, who was allowed on the wharf to check on his business.

Tony Elliot, the head of the Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Department, estimated that about 150 feet (45 meters) of the end of the pier fell into the water around 12:45 p.m. It was immediately evacuated and will remain closed indefinitely.

Some of the dock’s pilings are still in the sea and remain “serious, serious hazards” to boats, the mayor said. Each pile weighs hundreds of pounds and is pushed by powerful waves.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has been notified and the state Office of Emergency Services is coordinating with local officials, his office said.

Forecasters warned that storm surges will continue to rise throughout the day.

“We expect what’s coming at us to be more serious than what was there this morning,” the mayor said.

Sea swells along California’s central coast could reach 60 feet (18 meters) as the Pacific storm gains strength through Monday, the weather service said.

“A rapidly developing storm will bring hurricane-force winds to areas far off the Pacific Northwest coast tonight,” the weather service’s Ocean Prediction Center said on X.

The end of the pier that broke off had been closed during renovations. The section, which included public restrooms and the shuttered Dolphin restaurant, floated about half a mile (0.8 kilometers) down the coast and wedged itself in the bottom of the San Lorenzo River.

Those who fell into the water were two engineers and a project manager inspecting the end of the dock, officials said. No members of the public were in the area.

Building inspectors were now looking at the rest of Santa Cruz Wharf’s structural integrity.

Monday’s collapse came about a year after the Seacliff State Beach pier just down the coast was hit beyond repair by a severe winter storm.

Further up the west coast, dangerous surf conditions and waves of up to 9.1 meters were expected from the central Oregon coast up through southwest Washington. Winds could peak near 80 mph (130 km/h) and a high surf warning is in effect until 10:00 p.m. Monday night, forecasters said.

In a post on X, the National Weather Service office in Portland, Oregon, said “it will likely go down as some of the highest surf this winter.”