Surfers undeterred by California tsunami alert

PACIFICA, Calif. (KRON) — San Francisco Bay Area surfers were unfazed Wednesday by a tsunami alert issued for the entire coast of California. A tsunami advisory was triggered by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked Eastern Russia Tuesday afternoon.

When earthquake-triggered waves reached California early Wednesday morning, ocean conditions were not ideal, and far from dramatic. With waves ranging between 1-3 feet, blustery winds creating chop on the surface, and strong currents, it was hard to hang-ten.

Still, Pacifica surfers paddled out. “Conditions weren’t the best. It was kind of messed up. A little choppy. I guess I was risking it,” Pacifica surfer Mark Perez told KRON4.

The National Weather Service described tsunamis as a series of waves — not a single wave — that carry a large mass of water across oceans. “Even if wave heights are low, dangerous and powerful currents are possible in the ocean and at the beach and at the harbors,” the NWS said.

Officials with the National Weather Service Bay Area wrote, “We are continuing to see fluctuations greater than a foot along our coast. Do not go to the coast. Stay away from beaches and waterways.”

Within the past 12 hours, weather officials recorded tsunami wave amplitudes of up to 3 feet at Arena Cove. Wave heights reached 2.6 feet at Point Reyes National Seashore, and 1.2 feet in San Francisco.

From the earthquake’s epicenter in Russia, “Thousands of miles … those waves traveled last night into our early morning hours to coastal California.” KRON4 Meteorologist John Shrable said.

Just before 11 a.m., NWS officials canceled the tsunami advisory between Sonoma County to the north, and Monterey County to the south. “Local conditions can cause a wide variation in wave action. Dangerous currents and fast tidal swings will persist through today,” the NWS wrote.

Many beaches remain officially closed on Wednesday, including all beaches along Sonoma County’s coastline.

The NWS reported the following tsunami wave heights:

• San Francisco: 1.2 ft at 2:24 a.m.
• Point Reyes: 2.6 ft at 4:23 a.m.
• Richmond: 0.8 ft at 2:41 a.m.
• Alameda: 1.2 ft at 2:47 a.m.
• Redwood City: 0.6 ft at 4:25 a.m.