After three people climbing on the rocks of the Big Sur coastline were swept into the ocean by rough surf Saturday afternoon, a U.S. Army specialist remained missing as the search continued into Monday, authorities said.
The harrowing incident off Soberanes Point came a week after a father and his 7-year-old daughter were killed in rough waters three miles to the north, off Big Sur’s Garrapata Beach.
Two people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries after they self-rescued.
The missing man was identified Monday as 35-year-old Amanpreet Thind, a U.S. Army specialist from New Jersey, according to a social media post by the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department. He was also a student at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.
“As search and recovery operations continue, we hold out hope that Spc. Thind will be found,” Col. Christy L. Whitfield, commandant at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, said in a news release. “We offer our deepest condolences to the Thind family during this difficult time. We are providing those impacted with every resource and support service available and extend our heartfelt gratitude to local, state, and national first responders working tirelessly to locate Spc. Thind.”
A rescue operation began Saturday after a call came in at about 3 p.m. from a passerby saying people were in the water and “were yelling for help,” Monterey County Sheriff’s Commander Andres Rosas said Saturday.
Numerous agencies responded, including the sheriff’s search and rescue squad, the U.S. Coast Guard, CalFire, California Highway Patrol and California State Parks. The two survivors were taken to a local hospital where they were treated for minor injuries and released, authorities said.
“At around 4:24, a Coast Guard helicopter spotted what appeared to be a body in the ocean but, due to the high surf, lost visual,” according to a statement from the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department. “They were unable to relocate the body.”
Thind was last seen wearing a white turban and a black shirt, vest-style jacket and shorts, authorities said.
The recovery operations have continued daily during daylight hours and are suspended at night for safety reasons, authorities said. Weather conditions Sunday were proving to be an obstacle for some search efforts, with unsafe water conditions limiting the ability for divers to conduct underwater searches and the wind impacting drone searches.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team was unable to enter the water again Monday due to dangerous conditions but anticipated that a water search may be able to begin Wednesday based on projected conditions.
On Saturday, the National Weather Service had issued a “beach hazards” warning, with breaking waves expected to reach 13 to 18 feet from Big Sur to Point Reyes north of San Francisco.
“Sneaker waves can unexpectedly run significantly farther up the beach than normal, including over rocks and jetties,” the weather service statement issued at noon Saturday said. The hazardous conditions, caused by a “long period northwesterly swell” were expected to linger through Monday night.
On Nov. 14, 39-year-old Yuji Hu of Calgary, Alberta, died after trying to save his 7-year-old daughter who was swept into the ocean at Garrapata State Beach. The child’s mother, attempting to reach her husband and daughter, was also pulled into the surf, but managed to get back to the beach and return to her 2-year-old child. The body of the 7-year-old was recovered by a search diver two days later.
Authorities are asking the public to avoid Soberanes Point while the search operation continues.
