Local
Coast Guard Ends Search for San Bruno Woman Swept Out to Sea at Panther State Beach
The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Monday for 24-year-old Se Nah Park of San Bruno, who was pulled into the ocean Sunday night after she and three friends were trapped by a rising tide at Panther State Beach in Santa Cruz County. The tragedy marks the latest tide-related emergency along a stretch of coastline that has claimed two lives in recent months.
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY â The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a 24-year-old San Bruno woman who was swept into the ocean Sunday night at Panther State Beach, authorities said.
Se Nah Park was last seen in the water at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday after she and three friends became trapped by a rising tide, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office. The three other members of the group managed to escape, but Park was believed to have been pulled out to sea.
The Coast Guard ended its active search Monday afternoon after roughly eight hours of scanning an area covering 95 square miles, the agency said Tuesday. Crews searched by helicopter and boat, and a drone was also deployed.
"Suspending a search is a difficult decision," Lt. Max Holloway, the Coast Guard's Sector San Francisco search and rescue mission coordinator, said in a statement. "Given the extensive search effort of the surrounding area and environmental conditions, we have suspended active search efforts pending further developments."
The search began Sunday night after Santa Cruz Fire Department personnel reported a person in the water near Panther State Beach. The Coast Guard launched a 47-foot motor lifeboat from Station Monterey and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station San Francisco. California State Parks, the Santa Cruz Fire Department and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office also participated.
According to Cal Fire, the four friends had gone through a narrow coastal passage known as the "keyhole" when the tide rose and trapped them.
The same stretch of coastline has seen other recent tide-related emergencies. In June, two Fremont women â 21-year-old Harshita Nair and 20-year-old Mahial Sran â died after they were swept into the ocean near Yellow Bank Beach, after apparently sleeping near the Keyhole. Cal Fire said at the time that it was the fifth rescue in a month along the roughly one-mile stretch between Yellow Bank and Bonny Doon beaches.
Officials have repeatedly warned that rising tides can quickly cut off escape routes along the rocky coastline, while sneaker waves and strong currents can pull people into deeper water. According to the National Weather Service, ocean swells in the area were about 10 feet at 14-second intervals, with breaking waves reaching as high as 16 feet.
Park was a recent graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and worked as an analytical chemist associate at Align Technology, according to her LinkedIn profile. She was a resident of San Bruno.
The Coast Guard said it has exhausted available resources in its active search effort.
"Our deepest condolences are with her family and loved ones," Holloway said.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office asked anyone with information about Park's disappearance to call 831-471-1121.