California: 5-Year-Old Girl Dead, 54-Year-Old Man Still Missing After Being Swept by Sneaker Wave
US Coast Guard confirms the death of the 5-year-old California girl who was swept out by a sneaker wave to the sea on Saturday. They also said that they had suspended the search for her grandfather. MIKHAIL MORDASOV/AFP via Getty Images

A tragic incident unfolded at Martins Beach in Half Moon Bay, Northern California, over the weekend, claiming the life of a 5-year-old girl and leaving her 54-year-old grandfather missing.

According to Coast Guard officials, both were swept into the ocean by a powerful sneaker wave, KTLA noted.

The California girl, identified as Naretzi Navarrete from Merced, lost her life in the hospital after she pulled into the sea on Saturday afternoon.

Despite exhaustive search efforts, the California man's whereabouts remain unknown, prompting authorities to reluctantly suspend the search.

"The decision to suspend search efforts is one of the hardest decisions to make, but our crews searched for nearly 24 hours without any sightings of the missing person," Coast Guard Sector San Francisco's deputy commander, Capt. Jordan Baldueza said.

The Search for California Girl and Her Grandfather

Early Saturday afternoon, reports of the pair in distress led to the deployment of San Mateo County firefighters and the US Coast Guard to Martin's Beach, according to SFGATE. Their search spanned 100 square miles, utilizing boats and a helicopter scouring the coastline, extending as far as the Golden Gate Bridge.

While firefighters successfully located the young girl, identified as Naretzi Navarrete, the Coast Guard assumed responsibility for finding her missing grandfather.

The duo, reported as a grandfather and granddaughter, faced the perilous waves along the California coast.

The entire stretch from Point Reyes to Big Sur had been under a beach hazards advisory throughout the weekend, cautioning beachgoers about the risks of large, unpredictable waves.

The National Weather Service's warning emphasized the potential danger of these sneaker waves, capable of sweeping people into the sea without warning, especially along west to northwest-facing beaches.

Sneaker Wave

The coastal areas from Northern California to Washington, extending into southwest Canada, are susceptible to sneaker waves due to their steep slopes, per FOX Weather.

Distinct from rogue waves experienced at sea, sneaker waves pose a unique threat along the coastline.

Sneaker waves, hazardous and potentially deadly, can surpass normal surf activity.

While lacking a strict scientific definition, NOAA describes them as a sudden rush of water that travels further up the coast than anticipated.

These waves, with the power to dislodge large objects, including logs, can surge over 150 feet up the beach.

The combination of their force and the cool water temperature creates a perilous situation, putting individuals at risk of hypothermia within minutes.

Beachgoers are often caught off guard by the arrival of sneaker waves, as there are limited means to predict their occurrence.

Monitoring changes in the surf becomes crucial, especially when storm systems generate a long period swell of at least 15 seconds.

The National Weather Service issues beach hazard statements encompassing multiple coastal communities to alert local agencies, beachgoers, and marine interests about potential dangers.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: 5-year-old California girl dead, grandfather missing after waves sweeps pair into ocean - From KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco