Man dies after wave swept him out to sea in Sonoma County amid high surf warning

By Brandon Downs

Click here for updates on this story

    SONOMA COUNTY, California (KPIX) — A man died after he was swept out to sea in Sonoma County on Sunday morning amidst a high surf warning, authorities said.

Shortly before 10:45 a.m., the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said it responded to Gerstle Cove for a water rescue.

This is where they said a man standing on rocks at the coast was swept out to sea by a wave.

He was rescued from the water and flown to land, where CPR was performed. However, deputies said he was pronounced dead shortly before 11:30 a.m. His identification has not been released.

Another person was found standing on the rocks calling for help. He was rescued.

The North Sonoma Coast Fire Department said the two were fishing when they got hit by a wave.

This comes as the National Weather Service issued a high surf warning for the Sonoma, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties as waves could break up to 20 feet and be accompanied by sneaker waves and rip currents.

The NWS projected sneaker waves could unexpectedly run further up beaches, including over rocks and jetties.

They warned these waves could knock people off their feet and pull them into the ocean water.

The high surf warning is in effect until 9 p.m. Monday.

Gerstle Cove is about 100 miles north of San Francisco, located off Highway 1 at the Salt Point State Park.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.