December 14, 2021

A boogie boarder rides the high waves at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, California on December 8, 2020.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Large waves generated by storms and winds in the Pacific Ocean deliver monster waves to the beaches of the San Francisco Bay Area, prompting the National Weather Service to issue the warning, “Never turn your back on the ocean.”

The Weather Service issued a high surf warning through 10 a.m. Wednesday, warning of large breaking waves of up to 20 to 25 feet.

The recommendation applies to the North Bay coastal region, including Point Reyes National Seashore, the San Francisco Peninsula coast, San Francisco, Monterey Bay and the Big Sur coast.

“Breaking waves can sweep people from jetties and docks into cold and dangerous seas where hypothermia or drowning can occur within a minute,” the weather service warned. “Inexperienced swimmers should stay out of the water due to dangerous surf conditions.”

In these conditions, waves are expected to run further up the beach than usual and the breaking surf can catch beach-walkers off guard.

“The swell is coming up behind the storm,” Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Lorber said. “It came about through a lot of activity in the North Pacific. The swell peaked yesterday but will be bolstered by north-westerly winds today which will create dangerous conditions on the beaches.”

Amy Graff is the news editor for SFGATE. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she began her career in the news at UC Berkeley’s Daily Californian newspaper, majoring in English literature. She has been with SFGATE for more than 10 years. You can email her at araff@sfgate.com.

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A storm that churned in the Gulf of Alaska sent the first major swell of the season to the Bay Area beaches Monday night, with waves up to 5 to 17 feet forecast for through Tuesday.

The biggest waves are predicted for northwest facing beaches from Sonoma County to Monterey County, including Ocean Beach in SF, Montara State Beach, and Marina State Beach.

The National Weather Service has a beach hazard statement that is in effect through 11 p.m. Tuesday. “Never turn your back on the sea,” warned the weather service.

This is the first beach hazard declaration that the weather service has issued for the region since March.

“This is the transition period when we will see larger northwest waves,” said Anna Schneider, a forecaster at the Bay Area Weather Service’s office. “It’s not that big compared to what we get in winter, but it’s a lot bigger than what we’ve seen all summer. Since it’s the first swell of the season, we wanted to make that statement.”

The warning comes after a cold front hit the Bay Area on Monday evening, bringing rain and light drizzle to the region. While the temperatures were cold on Monday morning, the sky was crystal clear and provided nice conditions for a stroll on the beach.

Beach goers should be aware of increased wave activity, torrential currents and waves that run further up the beach than usual.

“Waves will be able to knock down beach goers, with the risk of being drawn into the cold, turbulent sea water,” warned the weather service in its forecast.

Wednesday marks the start of a warming trend as offshore winds are expected to blow warmer air from the inland valleys towards the coast.

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