A 24-year-old woman who was seen walking through a beach’s keyhole rock opening with three of her friends is still missing after a rising tide trapped the group along the California coast, authorities reported.
The friends escaped the encroaching water at Panther State Beach in Santa Cruz on Sunday evening.
But Senah Park apparently did not make it out.
CAL FIRE CZU firefighters responded to the scene around 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8. They launched a search that involved ground crews, drones and helicopters, according to a presser.
“Four people had gone through the keyhole on the beach and when the tide rose, they became trapped,” CAL FIRE CZU’s post read. “Three people were able to escape the rising tide. One person, described as a woman in her twenties, was not able to escape and was believed to have been swept out to sea.”
The Coast Guard also responded on Monday, Nov. 9.
Park’s friends reported her missing, SFGATE reported, citing a sheriff’s office spokesperson.
Another member of the group suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
Park was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and denim skirt at the beach off Highway 1 near Davenport, about nine miles north of Santa Cruz.
Her disappearance came as the coastline was on alert for dangerous surf.
Forecasters warned of punishing conditions along the coast, with powerful rip currents, sneaker waves and towering breakers threatening beachgoers.
The National Weather Service said Monday that exposed beaches could see breaking waves reaching 12 to 16 feet, with waves up to 18 feet at some locations. Higher-than-normal tides were also expected to intensify currents.
As of Monday, authorities had not established whether those conditions caused Park to be swept away.
The picturesque stretch of shoreline has been the scene of a string of emergencies this year.
In September, rescuers pulled two people from the ocean after they fell into the water while fishing, according to the Mercury News.
A woman drowned in June after she and a companion were swept into the ocean near a “keyhole” opening in the cliffs, the outlet reported.
And in May, rising water trapped eight people inside a beachside cave before rescuers brought them to safety.
Anyone with information about Park’s whereabouts is urged to call the Coast Guard at 800-246-7236 or the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office at 831-471-1121.
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