Three Gilroy men swimming off the Pajaro Dunes near Watsonville
were caught in strong rip currents Monday afternoon but
survived.
Three Gilroy men swimming off the Pajaro Dunes near Watsonville were caught in strong rip currents Monday afternoon but survived.
About 1 p.m. Monday, the three men were swimming in the ocean when a riptide caught them and began to carry them away from shore, CalFire Capt. Jerry Fernandez said. One of the men, a 20-year-old, managed to pull himself out of the current and summon several bystanders for help. The bystanders were able to pull one man, an 18-year-old, from the waves but another 18-year-old was carried south, where he swam back to shore.
“Everyone turned out to be OK in the end,” Fernandez said.
The victims were treated on site and declined transportation to the hospital, he said.
The beach, a wide, sandy stretch of shoreline about halfway between Santa Cruz and Monterey, is known for its choppy waters and strong currents, Fernandez said.
Rip currents are powerful currents of water moving away from shore that can sweep even the strongest swimmer out to sea, he said. If caught in a rip current, swimmers shouldn’t fight against the current, but instead should swim parallel to the shore until the current subsides, and then swim to shore. If the current doesn’t subside, swimmers should float or tread water and call or wave for assistance.
