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Man Missing After Three People Swept Into Ocean at Garrapata State Park; Multi-Agency Search Underway

Three people were swept off rocks into the ocean at Soberanes Point in Garrapata State Park on Nov. 22; two women made it back to shore and were hospitalized with unspecified injuries. A man, believed to be about 30, is missing and was last seen wearing a white turban, black shirt, black shorts and a black vest-style jacket. A multi-agency search including the U.S. Coast Guard briefly sighted a body but lost it in high surf; searches paused overnight and resumed the next morning. The incident follows a fatal Nov. 14 event at the same park in which a 7-year-old girl and her father were swept into the ocean.

12:40 AM, 11/24/2025Society
Man Missing After Three People Swept Into Ocean at Garrapata State Park; Multi-Agency Search Underway

A man remained missing after three people were swept off rocks and into the ocean at Soberanes Point in Garrapata State Park on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 22, authorities said.

California State Parks notified the Monterey County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) at about 3 p.m. that two women and one man had been carried off by waves. Both women made it back to shore on their own and were taken to a nearby hospital with injuries that have not been specified. The missing person is believed to be around 30 years old.

Officials launched a large-scale, multi-agency response that included California State Parks, CalFire, the California Highway Patrol, Monterey County Sheriff's Search and Rescue and the U.S. Coast Guard, which provided both a helicopter and an ocean-going vessel to assist in the search.

At approximately 4:24 p.m., a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter reported sighting a body in the water, but crews quickly lost visual contact because of high surf and were unable to recover anyone, MCSO said.

Authorities described the missing man as wearing a white turban, black shirt, black shorts and a black vest-style jacket. Search operations were suspended at nightfall on Nov. 22 out of concern for the safety of first responders and were planned to resume the following morning.

Related Tragedy Earlier This Month

The Nov. 22 incident occurred days after a separate, fatal event at the same park. On Nov. 14, 15- to 20-foot waves swept a 7-year-old girl into the ocean. Her father, 39-year-old Yuji Hu, jumped in to try to save her and was also carried away. Hu was later recovered and transported to a hospital, where he died. The girl's mother was pulled into the water as well but survived; officials reported she was in stable condition with mild hypothermia. A diver found the girl's body on Nov. 16 roughly half a mile north of where she was swept away.

Monterey County authorities said search teams remain coordinated and continue efforts to locate the missing man. Officials reiterated that the coastline near Garrapata State Park can be especially dangerous in high surf and urged the public to exercise extreme caution and avoid climbing on coastal rocks.

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