Heavy surf on Monday smashed into the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, shearing off a 125-foot section off the end and sending an already-closed business into the ocean, along with a public restroom and two pieces of heavy construction equipment.
Emergency officials rescued several people who fell into the ocean as they repaired damages from the storms in 2023, said Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley.
A Bobcat tractor and a crane also fell into the ocean, he said.
“A lot of debris is in the water moving toward the beach,” Keeley said.
Santa Cruz Police received a call about the damage at 12:44pm.
A large swath of Santa Cruz’s beachside has been closed, including the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Cowell’s Beach and the Small Yacht Harbor.
No existing businesses are thought to be structurally damaged, but on Monday afternoon, engineers were inspecting the wharf to assess the extent of the damage, Keeley said.
But with surf conditions expected to get worse—and with damage assessments ongoing—it’s unclear how that will change. The damage, he pointed out, occurred during low tide.
“We’re going to have a high tide in a couple of hours, and that could cause additional problems for us,” he said.
Joe Schwappach, a worker at The Picnic Basket, a Santa Cruz eatery between the Boardwalk and the Wharf, was surprised by the commotion as several police vehicles raced by.
“And then we looked out and we saw a bunch of driftwood in the ocean,” Schwappach said. “And then we realized that the pier collapsed and drifted all the way down the beach on to the point down there.”
There are no reports of significant injuries.
“Due to life-threatening ocean conditions, please avoid all coastal areas, including overlook areas such as rocks, jetties, or cliffs,” Santa Cruz spokeswoman Katie Lee said. “Dangerous and powerful waves can sweep across entire beaches unexpectedly. Do not enter the water, and do not cross flooded streets. Conditions will remain dangerous through noon on Dec. 24.”
At Sunset State Beach, emergency responders arrived at approximately 11:30am for a report that a man was injured by a large piece of driftwood. Witnesses said that at least five people were trapped at the bottom of the stairs close to the entrance of the beach.
Nearly a dozen emergency response vehicles responded to the scene, and emergency workers worked for more than 10 minutes to remove the man from under a giant piece of driftwood.
“He appeared conscious for a time, conversing with personnel as they worked to free him from under the driftwood, but fell into a state of seeming unconsciousness shortly after efforts began,” a witness said.
Emergency workers could be seen performing CPR on the man for more than a half hour before he was taken to a local hospital.
Additional reporting by Zen Weaver, Drew Penner and Antonio Ramirez.
