A 24-year-old woman was swept out to sea from a beach in Santa Cruz County, and the U.S. Coast Guard is now searching the waters where she was last seen. Ennah Park was last seen around 9:30 p.m. Sunday night at Panther State Beach, located off Highway 1 near Davenport, as hazardous tides battered the Central Coast.
According to The Mercury News, the Coast Guard is searching for Park after she was swept out to sea from the beach. The outlet places Panther Beach about 8 miles north of Santa Cruz, though Patch reports the distance at closer to 9 miles north of Santa Cruz along Highway 1. Anyone with information about Park's disappearance is asked to contact the Coast Guard at 800-246-7236 or 911.
Dangerous Tides Battering the Coastline
Park's disappearance comes as the National Weather Service issued a warning for Bay Area beaches over the weekend because of hazards created by high tides. Per the same report from Patch, coastal flooding from high tides was expected through Friday, with hazardous beach conditions forecast to persist through Monday.
A separate advisory from the forecast.weather.gov warned that waves can sweep across the shoreline without warning, pulling people into the sea from beaches, jetties, and rocks. The statement listed the Beach Hazards Statement as running from 3 p.m. PST Monday, Nov. 9, through that evening, with a Coastal Flood Advisory stretching into Tuesday.
A Pattern of Trouble at Panther Beach
Panther State Beach has seen repeated trouble from the tides this year. In September, two people were rescued from the water after falling into the ocean while fishing, and in June, a woman drowned after she and a companion were swept into the water from a keyhole in the cliffs, according to the seed reporting. In May, eight people were rescued after becoming trapped in a beachside cave by the rising tide.
At the same stretch of coast, KSBW has reported that high tide can create a dangerous trap at Panther Beach, as water rushes through a rock archway and completely cuts off access. The station also reported that a large south swell has been generating powerful rip currents and sneaker waves across Monterey Bay beaches.
KSBW separately reported that a woman and a man, both in their 30s and neither a Santa Cruz County resident, were pulled from the ocean after being swept off rocks at Panther Beach, with one transported by Stanford Life Flight and the other taken to a hospital by ambulance. In that same report, California State Parks said a woman swept into the ocean while fishing off Panther Beach died Wednesday evening — though the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner's office told the station it had no record of a death from Panther Beach on that date or that week.
Earlier Rescues Near Davenport
The hazards at this stretch of coastline are not new. KSBW has also reported that eight people were rescued one Sunday evening after becoming trapped by a rising tide in a cave near Panther State Beach, after a person texted 911 just before 8 p.m. to report that 11 people were trapped in a cave near Davenport. Five people who could swim were able to wade out of the cave with help from lifeguards, while the Coast Guard hoisted the remaining three people to safety.
No further details on the search for Park have been released. Anyone with information is urged to reach out to authorities immediately.
