Pregnant Woman and Her Fiance Killed as Freak Wave Violently Disrupts Beach Photo
In a story that has shocked and saddened friends and family members, as well as many on the internet, a freak wave at a California beach killed a pregnant woman and her fiance after felling them and dragging them out to sea.
According to the U.K’s. Daily Mail, the couple — Pedro David Guadarrama Ceron, 30, and Emma Nelly Diazleal Lopez, 33, both of San Jose, California — were standing on rocks for a photo at scenic Mitchell’s Cove in Santa Cruz.
However, just before a 911 call was made at roughly 6:15 p.m. on July 16, waves reportedly “came out of nowhere,” the Mail reported, and took the couple out to sea.
Rescue swimmers from the Santa Cruz Fire Department, along with city lifeguards from Santa Cruz, jumped into the waters off the scenic viewpoint to search for the couple.
Sadly, they were too late.
Expectant parents identified as victims swept into ocean in Santa Cruz. https://t.co/uRtQUTc39n pic.twitter.com/Y75C9jLXfA
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) July 24, 2024
The rescue crews found the bodies of the two, face-down in the sea off the coast of Santa Cruz, unresponsive.
Rescuers got them to a Harbor Patrol Rescue Boat, but their efforts to revive the two failed.
“Advanced life support measures were immediately initiated as the victims were assisted on board the vessel and directed towards the harbor,” the Santa Cruz Fire Department said via a statement.
“Despite uninterrupted resuscitative efforts, both victims succumbed to the elements and could not be resuscitated.”
“The Santa Cruz Fire Department wants to remind people to never turn their backs on the ocean and to be aware of tidal conditions,” KSBW news reported on Monday, after the identities of the deceased were released.
Santa Cruz is known for its scenic rocks and waves breaking against said rocks:
Golden Hour with big waves and fog starting to move in pic.twitter.com/LlLhSq7scm
— Native Santa Cruz (@NativeSantaCruz) July 19, 2024
Santa Cruz waves 🌊 CA 🏖️💦 pic.twitter.com/Eknml6IjfX
— Tim Bollinger (@hittnthebeach) July 18, 2024
However, scenic can also equal dangerous, particularly given what the Santa Cruz Fire Department described as freak “sneaker waves.”
“You may have a perfectly calm day where it’s not a lot of wind, there’s not a lot of chop in the water,” Deputy Harbor Master David Hill, who responded to the scene, told KNTV.
“But there could be a swell system that creates a wave every 15 minutes. You may not realize it.”
KNTV reported Pedro’s father was in “indescribable pain” — as was the rest of the family.
The young man had immigrated to the United States from Mexico just four years ago — and the couple had just found out that Emma was pregnant with their first child.
The father said he wished his son was still with him, if just for one last hug.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the deceased.
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