While the woman was able to get back to shore on her own, an off-duty California State Parks peace officer pulled the man from the water and began CPR. The man was taken to a hospital where he was later declared dead.<\/p>\n
The woman was listed in stable condition with mild hypothermia. A 2-year-old child who was also at the scene at the time was unharmed. <\/p>\n
The Sheriff\u2019s Office, along with California State Parks, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the U.S. Coast Guard are continuing to search for the missing girl, including by helicopter. <\/p>\n
Search efforts were briefly suspended overnight due to weather conditions and lightning, and a beach hazard warning was issued for the surrounding areas at the time. <\/p>\n
The intense waves were not directly caused by the rains affecting the Pacific coast, but were generated by winds of up to 70 mph that are part of the larger weather pattern, according to the National Weather Service office in Monterey.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the increased wave action, there\u2019s a lot more energy in the ocean,\u201d said NWS meteorologist Lamont Bain. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Multi-agency search efforts for the girl continue.<\/p>\n
(Monterey County Sheriff\u2019s Office)<\/p>\n
What the family may have experienced is a \u201csneaker wave,\u201d where a successive wave rushes further onshore than the majority of the waves that have been breaking.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sneaker wave has more energy and that\u2019s usually what catches people by surprise,\u201d Bain said.<\/p>\n
The National Weather Service warned that people should stay off the beaches on Friday due to the storm, including in Monterey County. Meteorologists cautioned that waves of up to 18 feet were possible all along the Pacific coast, and that some locations could see waves as high as 23 feet. <\/p>\n