Sneaker wave sweeps woman 30 feet offshore near San Francisco
A wave “just swallowed” Bae Cadotte, dragging the 47-year-old Pacifica resident about 30 feet offshore before fellow anglers hauled her back to shore.
A fishing trip south of Pacifica Pier turned into a fight for survival when a sneaker wave surged up the beach and dragged Bae Cadotte about 30 feet into the ocean. The 47-year-old Pacifica resident said she spent several minutes in the water before fellow anglers threw a rope and pulled her back to shore.
The June 16 incident, captured by a webcam, is now a stark lesson in how quickly Northern California surf can turn dangerous. Cadotte was fishing along the beach south of Pacifica Pier when the wave struck without warning. She later described the ordeal as feeling like she was “tumbling in a washing machine” and said the wave “just swallowed” her.
Cadotte was taken to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, where she was treated for hypothermia and minor injuries. She is recovering at home. Reporting also says she had been fishing from the beach after the Pacifica Municipal Pier was closed because of structural issues, leaving the shoreline as her alternative spot on a day when the surf was already treacherous. Pacifica State Beach does not have a lifeguard on duty.
The danger was not isolated to one stretch of coast. The National Weather Service had a Beach Hazards Statement in effect for much of the Bay Area, warning of large swells, sneaker waves and strong rip currents, and the hazard risk was expected to continue through at least Wednesday, June 25. That kind of warning matters because sneaker waves can appear on an otherwise calm-looking beach, run farther up the sand than expected and knock people off balance before they can react.
Cadotte said she hopes the close call warns others who may not know how fast coastal water can move. “Many people do not know about rip currents,” she said, urging beachgoers to be careful. San Francisco Fire Department officials echoed that message, warning the public to stay alert and “never turn your back on the ocean.”
Her rescue comes amid a troubling run of recent coastal emergencies in Northern California. At Baker Beach in San Francisco, a mother and pre-teen daughter were critically injured after being swept into the surf, and two Bay Area college students died after being swept into the ocean in Santa Cruz. Together, the incidents show how quickly a routine visit to the coast can become a life-threatening emergency, even when the water looks deceptively calm.
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