A woman died Wednesday after a large wave swept her and a man off beach rocks near Sycamore Canyon Campground in Malibu, dragging them into churning surf. The man managed to pull himself and the woman from the water and call 911, but she could not be revived.
The pair had been seated on rocks across from the campground when the wave hit around 11:45 a.m., according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, as reported by NBC Los Angeles. The man and woman struggled in the water for several minutes before he got them both out and dialed for help, per the same account. Paramedics performed CPR on the woman, who was unresponsive, but she died at the scene.
The man was taken to a nearby hospital in moderate condition and is expected to survive, the station reported. Authorities found no evidence of foul play and have deemed the woman's death not suspicious. Officials are withholding her name while they notify her family, and the relationship between the two has not been made clear.
A Coastline Already Under Warning
The drowning happened before a beach hazards statement covering Malibu, the rest of Los Angeles County and Ventura County beaches took effect. The National Weather Service issued the alert at 12:27 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. The statement remained active until 2 p.m. Thursday.
The Weather Service warned of an increased risk of ocean drowning, noting that rip currents can drag swimmers and surfers out to sea while waves can wash people off beaches and rocks entirely, the Daily News reported. Forecasters urged beachgoers to remain out of the water or stay near occupied lifeguard towers, adding a blunt caution about the exact kind of terrain where Wednesday's incident unfolded: rock jetties, they said, can be deadly in such conditions, and people should stay off them.
Rough Surf Also Hit Pacific Coast Highway
The same high surf has been battering stretches of the Malibu coastline enough to keep Caltrans crews busy along Pacific Coast Highway, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. Seawater drenched the roadway near Thornhill Broome Beach, forcing crews to close the lane closest to the beach.
California State Parks notes that most ocean rescues performed by lifeguards stem from swimmers caught in rip currents, and that unusually large waves can pull people near the shoreline into turbulent water without warning, per California State Parks. Wednesday's drowning near Sycamore Canyon Campground adds to a string of ocean dangers reported along the Southern California coast this week as elevated surf has continued to batter the region.
