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High Surf — Southern Monterey Bay And Big Sur Coast, California

May 16, 2026 · NOAA Storm Events record

Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
0
Property damage
—
Area
Southern Monterey Bay And Big Sur Coast

Event narrative (NOAA)

A 25-year old man was found dead in the water off China Vista Point in the Big Sur coastline. The man had been fishing on rocks near the shore. A distress call was placed around 1 PM on Saturday after a tourist reported a man floating in the water. Rescue personnel from CAL FIRE and California State Parks brought the man to shore, where he was pronounced dead at the scene. At the time of the incident, buoy 46028 (Cape San Martin - south of the vista point) reported winds gusting between 35 to 40 knots for much of Saturday morning with gusts to around 37-40 knots reported around 12PM-2PM. Buoy 46239 (Point Sur) reported building wave heights through Saturday with waves around 11-12 feet reported Saturday morning.

Other notable high surf events in California

Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore · July 14, 20104 killedCoastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore · January 3, 20213 killedNorth Coast Interior · June 7, 20043 killedSan Francisco Peninsula Coast · December 3, 20072 killedCoastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore · November 26, 20092 killedSan Francisco · May 23, 20102 killed

Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.

High Surf — Southern Monterey Bay And Big Sur Coast, California, May 16, 2026 | DisasterAtlasUSA