Coast Guard Scrambles to Find Two Missing Surfers Off California Coast
The U.S. Coast Guard launched a massive search operation off the Santa Cruz coast after receiving reports of two surfers in distress approximately 200 yards from shore on Friday evening. The incident occurred during a period of large waves, which were measuring between seven and nine feet at the time.
As news of the missing surfers spread, boats and aircrew were swiftly dispatched to scour the waters. However, despite an extensive search effort covering more than 90 miles, no signs of the two men were found by Saturday morning.
The Coast Guard's decision to suspend the search was not taken lightly, according to Chief Warrant Officer Michael Zapawa, who oversees the rescue mission at Coast Guard Sector San Francisco. "The decision to suspend a search weighs heavily on all crews involved," he stated in a press release. "That decision is based on careful evaluation of all available information, including extensive search efforts, environmental conditions, and survivability assessments."
While the search has been suspended for now, officials are still urging anyone with information regarding the possible whereabouts of the missing surfers to come forward. The Coast Guard Sector San Francisco command center can be reached at 415-399-7399 with any tips or leads.
As the situation continues to unfold, residents and visitors along the Santa Cruz coast are left anxiously waiting for updates on the fate of the two missing men.
The U.S. Coast Guard launched a massive search operation off the Santa Cruz coast after receiving reports of two surfers in distress approximately 200 yards from shore on Friday evening. The incident occurred during a period of large waves, which were measuring between seven and nine feet at the time.
As news of the missing surfers spread, boats and aircrew were swiftly dispatched to scour the waters. However, despite an extensive search effort covering more than 90 miles, no signs of the two men were found by Saturday morning.
The Coast Guard's decision to suspend the search was not taken lightly, according to Chief Warrant Officer Michael Zapawa, who oversees the rescue mission at Coast Guard Sector San Francisco. "The decision to suspend a search weighs heavily on all crews involved," he stated in a press release. "That decision is based on careful evaluation of all available information, including extensive search efforts, environmental conditions, and survivability assessments."
While the search has been suspended for now, officials are still urging anyone with information regarding the possible whereabouts of the missing surfers to come forward. The Coast Guard Sector San Francisco command center can be reached at 415-399-7399 with any tips or leads.
As the situation continues to unfold, residents and visitors along the Santa Cruz coast are left anxiously waiting for updates on the fate of the two missing men.
these guys are lucky they're only 200 yards from shore i hope whoever finds them is doing okay, cant imagine how their families must be feeling 
its always a bad situation when ppl get lost in the water but the coast guard is doin there best, at least they suspended the search didnt keep lookin out of courtesy to those familes 
i'm watchin this whole thing like it's a surf competition gone wrong... 90 miles searched & no signs of life?? that's wild 
u think they might've gotten lost or caught in something? or maybe the waves were just too intense even for experienced surfers 
anyway, gotta give it to the coast guard, they're doin a sick job keepin us updated on the search efforts 
fingers crossed those two dudes turn up safe & sound 
200 yards from shore and no rescue?! 
my heart is with their loved ones right now 
this is insane 
! who knows what happened? did the waves sweep them out to sea? 
and what about all that equipment they must've left behind?! 
I hope people are looking out for each other out there 
we gotta stay vigilant, you know? 
this is super worrying... think about how rough the waves were last night and now these 2 guys just vanished into thin air 
hope whoever finds any info comes forward soon, so they can at least get some closure 
. If anyone has any info, please call 415-399-7399... let's keep those surfers' families updated 
. Like, we've had like, a million stories about people going missing in the ocean before, and 99% of them turn out to be some dude who got caught in a riptide or something 
. I mean, what are the chances that two surfers just happen to get lost at sea when there's a massive search operation going on? It seems like a pretty fishy story to me 
. And don't even get me started on how long it took for them to be reported and how quickly the Coast Guard sprang into action 
. I bet they just happened to have all their resources ready to go because they knew this was going to happen 
. Anyway, I'm sure everything will turn out okay in the end... probably 
I think it's super frustrating for their families & friends who are just waiting to hear if those guys are okay... I mean, 90 miles of searching doesn't sound like a lot, right? 
Fingers crossed they'll be found soon and get the help they need!
. I mean, what if they're still alive out there, stuck in some riptide or something? The thought of them just sitting there, waiting to be found... it's giving me the heebie-jeebies 
. And no updates from anyone on the ground? No surveillance footage? It's like they just vanished into thin air 
. I'm not holding my breath for any miracles at this point 
this is so worrisome, can't believe those guys were out in that huge wave and no one saw them being swept away... what about the Coast Guard's search methods? 
it's crazy how quickly they responded, but I guess that's what you'd expect from a well-trained team like theirs. 
still really hoping those guys turn up alive though! 
also btw, did u hear that there r around 10,000 surfers in Cali on any given day? That's like a whole lotta dudes out there surfing 
btw, did u know that Coast Guard receives like 1,500+ emergency calls every day? 
