With a high surf warning issued until Sunday, swimming is highly discouraged at Ocean Beach in San Francisco due to perilous rip currents, officials from the fire department indicated.
While it is permissible to wade to knee depth, beachgoers are urged to be extremely careful, as individuals have been taken out to sea in merely three feet of water, vanishing within moments, according to the San Francisco Fire Department.
The National Weather Service forecasted on Wednesday that the wider Bay Area coastline could expect large waves breaking between 20 and 30 feet starting at 10 a.m. Thursday until 4 p.m. Sunday.
Conditions for swimming and surfing will be deemed hazardous, stated the weather service.
Rip currents constitute the primary risk at most beaches, and anyone caught in a rip current should not resist the current, but rather swim parallel to the shore and then head toward the beach, as advised by the fire department.
Pets must be kept on leashes, and beachgoers should avoid attempting to swim after a pet that has been swept into the ocean. Most dogs will manage to exit the water on their own, only to watch their owner being rescued, according to the fire department.
Under high surf conditions, waves can appear unexpectedly and surge across the beach, dragging individuals into the water from rocks, jetties, and beaches, as mentioned by the weather service.