Video shows beachgoers swept off their feet by sneaker wave at Moonstone Beach

The video, of Moonstone Beach near Eureka, has been viewed more than 500,000 times.|
PRESS DEMOCRAT STAFF
BY PRESS DEMOCRAT STAFF

Beachgoers near Eureka got quite a surprise over the weekend when they were knocked off their feet while watching waves at Moonstone Beach as seen in a viral video.

Marcella Ogata-Day shared the clip on Facebook Sunday as an example of "what sneaker waves can do."

The 46-second video, taken Saturday, shows three wave-watchers knocked over by a rush of water, flooding a parking lot full of cars. It has been viewed more than 500,000 times.

"Everyone was OK and a lot more alert," Ogata-Day wrote on Facebook.

See the video here:

What sneaker waves can do. This is not an CRITIQUE of others should have done. No personal judgments needed. I watched many swells come through with a lull before something comes up. I clipped just this section to illustrate the power of the water and was glad everyone was okay. Any one of us could be there on that bank near the parking lot checking out the high tide. Any one of us can be walking along a beach on a nice sunny day and a surge comes up and pulls a dog, a friend, a family member unexpectedly. Awareness and understanding will help. https://www.noaa.gov/stories/story-map-play-it-safe ========= It was a very high tide, aka King Tide, yesterday. Jan. 11, 2020. Cold and exhilarating. An approximate forecast of 14 feet, 16 seconds. High tide was at 7.97 feet at 11:16 am. John and I were checking out the King Tides along Trinidad down to Arcata. The strength of the surge can be seen on this video I took while checking out Moonstone Beach. There is a perceived sense of being safe and there were plenty of times when the waves came up, then went back as expected. But waves can double up with a strong surge coming to shore which happened yesterday and knocked some people not even on the sandy part of the beach off their feet with water coming up to the parking area. Everyone was okay and a lot more alert.

Posted by Marcella Ogata-Day on Sunday, January 12, 2020

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.
Send a letter to the editor