Vanessa Bull, 28, has shared her harrowing experience of being swept into the ocean with her seven-year-old daughter, Mireina, by a nine-foot sneaker wave at San Francisco's Baker Beach on June 18. Both were left in critical condition.
"I definitely do not plan on taking my kids to the ocean for a very long time," Bull told ABC affiliate KABC. She recounted how within minutes of arriving at the beach from Sacramento, she and her daughter were pulled into the sea. "When I looked back and I just saw her head at the top, and I just ran and I jumped in and I tried my hardest to get to her," Bull said. Bystanders and paramedics were able to pull them from the water.
This incident occurred just eight days after two college students, Harshita Nair, 21, and Mahial Sran, 20, drowned on June 10 when they were caught in a rogue wave at a Santa Cruz beach. Two days prior to that, five-year-old Amanda Mia Brown was swept away by a large wave at Laguna Beach.
Baker Beach, where Bull and Mireina were swept away, is known for sneaker waves and is considered a dangerous beach without regular lifeguard patrols. The San Francisco Fire Department frequently advises beachgoers to only visit beaches with lifeguards. "We really caution that if you're coming from out of the area and even if you're in the area it's much safer to be on a beach with guarded waters," said Dave Bodine, Marine Safety Captain, in a public service announcement.
Bull expressed a desire for enhanced safety measures, stating, "I feel like beaches should be closed if the waves are like that."
A sneaker wave is defined as a disproportionately large and unexpected coastal wave that surges much farther up the beach than preceding waves. The National Weather Service issued a Beach Hazard Statement on June 12, warning of intensifying dangerous conditions along the entire Northern California coastline. This advisory has been extended multiple times due to the ongoing hazardous conditions impacting Pacific Coast beaches. During such advisories, people are urged to never turn their backs on the ocean and to stay clear of waterside infrastructure.