15-foot waves reported at San Francisco’s Ocean Seashore

LATEST Jan 24, 12:23 pm With a northwest swell sending dangerous waves to San Francisco Bay Area beaches Monday, the National Weather Service provided an update on the surf just before noon.

“Swell is up to 8 to 10 feet as period starting to fall below 17 seconds at some buoys,” the weather service wrote on Twitter.

Surfline, a website that provides reports on beach conditions for surfers, reported waves of 10 to 15 feet at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, 10 to 15 feet at Mavericks in Half Moon Bay, 5 to 7 feet at Pacifica and 6 to 10 feet at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz.

🌊Naval Update🌊

Swell is up to 8 to 10 feet as period starting to fall below 17 seconds at some buoys.

According to the webcams on @surfline breaking waves are

Ocean Beach: 10-15 feet
Mavericks: 12-15 feet
Pacifica: 5-7 feet
Santa Cruz/Steamer Lane: 6-10 feet#CAbeaches

— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) January 24, 2022

Jan 24, 8:10 am The National Weather Service warned of dangerous rip currents and sneaker waves through Monday afternoon with a northwest swell building off the central coast of California.

The weather service explained that the ocean could appear “deceptively calm with long lulls between large waves capable of knocking unsuspecting beach-goers off coastal rocks, outcroppings, and into the cold, restless ocean.”

A beach hazards statement alerting the public of an increased risk of sneaker waves and rip currents is in effect from Sonoma County to Monterey County through 1 pm Monday. The highest risk is at northwest-facing beaches including Ocean Beach, Montara State Beach, Marina State Beach and Monastery Beach.

The weather service warned the public to stay off coastal jetties, keep their eyes on children and pets and never turn their backs to the ocean.

Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea.