Weather service warns of deadly 18-foot 'sneaker waves' along Northern California coast

Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News on Nov 28, 2025

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SAN FRANCISCO — This weekend might not be the best time to go surfing, tidepooling, or frolicking along the shoreline.

The National Weather Service has issued a warning to Northern Californians of potentially deadly “sneaker waves” reaching 13 to 18 feet in height along the coast until at least 10 p.m. Sunday. These waves get their name because they occur spontaneously during seemingly normal surf, when an offshore swell and coastal winds meet at the perfect intersection.

Westward facing beaches, like Ocean Beach, areas of Santa Cruz County, and peninsula towns like Pacifica are at higher risk of spotting them, officials warn. The NWS warns that sneaker waves can “run significantly farther up the beach” than typical waves, and that accompanying rip currents can appear, especially around piers, jetties, and inlets.

If that wasn’t enough to disincentivize would-be beachgoers, a buoy off the San Francisco coast on Friday morning reported a water temperature of 57 degrees Fahrenheit — cold enough to make a person lose dexterity within 15 minutes and to kill them within one to six hours, according to the University of Sea Kayaking.