’60 Foot’ Waves Blast California Coast, Wreak Chaos (Video)

For those who spent the holiday season away from the Californian and Hawaiian shores, perhaps in a wintry retreat devoid of internet access to the happenings of the surfing world, here are a few things to look for: Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational race for the 11th time in history, The Mavericks experienced one of the biggest and heaviest days everand Golden State was wiped from the XXL burn.

Welcome back.

Most notably, in terms of destruction on the West Coast, a large section of the iconic Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed from the inundation of swells and was sent spinning through the open ocean like a rubber duck in a bathtub with a small child. Two people were rescued; luckily there were no injuries.

Elsewhere, however, people were not so lucky. Mother Nature’s wrath reigned supreme, claiming the lives of a few and/or sweeping them out to sea and forcing missing person reports. The video above shows a compilation of all the oceanic mayhem and shows the extent of the damage as follows:

(Note: The 60-foot waves mentioned below may have hit Mavericks during the pre-Christmas surge, but that size wasn’t seen anywhere else on the coast. And the photo used for the YouTube video above? Yeah, let’s consider it bit of a Regardless, it was undeniably huge.)

Related: Santa Cruz Wharf collapses in ‘life-threatening’ surf (video)

“Dangerous waves brought down part of the Santa Cruz Pier on Monday and prompted several water rescues from the Pacific Ocean this week as waves of up to 60 feet are predicted along the California coast. The Central Fire District of Santa Cruz County website shows that crews responded to at least two water rescues Monday near Live Oak and Capitola beaches.The storm’s high surf also likely pulled a man into the Pacific Ocean around noon Monday at Marina State Beach along Monterey Bay, authorities said.

“Meanwhile, in Marina State Beach, about 30 minutes south of Sunset State Beach, a man went missing around noon after being pulled into the water by a high surf. Another person went missing at Pebble Beach, south of Monterey. Cal Fire said , that crews responded to Ocean Road in Pebble Beach after someone was reported swept off the rocks into the water.Three people were rescued near Bodega Bay after they were swept ashore by a strong wave Monday, according to the Sonoma County Fire District.

It’s not over either. Another swell pulse is on the way for the weekend, although this one doesn’t look nearly as big. Yet we would be remiss if we did not urge caution. Stay safe.