Woman feared lost to high waves

A search was under way Sunday for a 42-year-old woman who is missing and feared drowned at Salt Point State Park, where she was on a retreat with several others, park rangers said.

The woman was identified as an Irish national, but the release of her name is pending the notification of her next of kin, said Jeremy Stinson, supervising ranger at Sonoma Coast State Park.

"We are working with the Dublin police department in notifying the family," he said Sunday night.

It is believed that she was washed off of Horseshoe Point, a rocky outcropping in Horseshoe Cove, by waves that were running 15 feet high Saturday afternoon.

"She was with a group that had gone for hikes in the area of Salt Point," said Tim Murphy, supervising ranger. "They had discussed meeting at a specific location at 3:30 p.m. When she didn't make that meeting place, the group went looking for her."

Murphy said her companions reached Horseshoe Point in time to see her pants wash out to sea. They also found her backpack, other clothing and shoes.

The woman was reportedly taking part in an outdoor meditation retreat, which began Sept. 28. It was unclear how long she had been in the country.

The woman is one of a dozen people who have died along the coast of Sonoma and Mendocino counties this year. Seven of the victims were abalone divers or picking abalone from rocks on the coast, and the others were washed into the ocean by large waves that seemingly appear out of nowhere.

Murphy said they don't know what exactly happened, but believe the woman may have been sunbathing on the point and was swept off the rocks by a large wave. It is not believed the woman was suicidal or went into the water swimming.

"A person taking a look at it may think it is a scenic spot, but it is not conducive to making an entry into the water," Murphy said. "The area is so exposed, westerly facing, any kind of inattention, even momentary, could have had a bad result."

The ocean was searched Saturday until after midnight by a vessel from the U.S. Coast Guard's Bodega Bay station, a Coast Guard helicopter from San Francisco and the Sonoma County's sheriff's helicopter.

The water temperature was in the mid-50s, the Coast Guard said.

"The survivability is pretty low if you go in with no clothes on, especially in this area," said Matthew McCullough, a boatswain's mate for the Coast Guard. "With the sea the state it was in last night, it is pretty hard staying up with everything crashing on top of you."

The search continued Sunday, with rangers walking the coast and the Sonoma County sheriff's helicopter.

"We are still actively looking for his person, but it is a recovery effort rather than a rescue effort," Murphy said.

You can reach Staff Writer Bob Norberg at 521-5206 or bob.norberg@

pressdemocrat.com.