Overview
- Three people were swept from the rocks at Soberanes Point on Nov. 22, with two women self-rescuing and a man, about 30 and wearing a white turban, still missing as his identity remains withheld.
- A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter briefly spotted what appeared to be a body at 4:24 p.m. Saturday but lost visual contact in heavy surf, prompting the shift to recovery efforts.
- A multi-agency operation involving California State Parks, CAL FIRE, CHP, Monterey County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, and the Coast Guard has deployed air, vessel, ground, and drone assets.
- Search efforts have been suspended at night for safety and visibility, resumed Sunday and again Monday morning, and have been constrained by high winds and unsafe water that limit diving and drone flights.
- Officials urge visitors to stay off coastal rocks and back from the water’s edge as breaking waves of 13 to 18 feet and sneaker-wave risk persist, following a separate fatal incident at the same park last week.