Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Search-and-Recovery Continues for Man Swept Into Ocean at Big Sur’s Garrapata State Park

Crews plan to resume recovery at first light after repeated pauses caused by high surf and nightfall.

Overview

  • Three people were swept off rocks at Soberanes Point around 3 p.m. Saturday; two women reached shore and were hospitalized, and a man remains missing.
  • A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter spotted what appeared to be a body at about 4:24 p.m. Saturday but lost visual in heavy surf, triggering a shift to recovery operations.
  • Search efforts led by the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office with State Parks, CAL FIRE, CHP, county search-and-rescue teams and the Coast Guard have been suspended nightly for safety and were set to resume Monday.
  • Authorities describe the missing person as about 30 years old and of South Asian descent, last seen in a white turban with black shorts, shirt and vest, and they have not released his name.
  • The incident occurred one week after a separate wave at the same park killed 39-year-old Yuji Hu and his 7-year-old daughter, as a Beach Hazard Statement warned of 13–18 foot breakers and sneaker waves.