Coast Guard Urges Caution to Mariners Ahead of Heavy Weather

Coast Guard Station Golden Gate 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crews conduct surf training near Ocean Beach in San Francisco, California, Dec. 13, 2018. The crews train in high surf to ensure they are prepared to respond to maritime emergencies during rough weather conditions. (Coast Guard photo by Seaman Ryan Estrada)

Source: U.S. Coast Guard

The Coast Guard urges mariners to prepare for heavy sea conditions and high winds, which are expected to impact the Central and Southern California Coast through Monday.

Sunday’s weather conditions for the inner waters in the vicinity of metro Los Angeles include wind speeds reaching 40 knots and sea states as high as 14 feet. Conditions are expected to worsen moving north from Los Angeles.

For offshore conditions, the National Weather Service is reporting potential gusts approaching 50 knots with seas nearing 20 feet.

Beaches throughout the area are expected to feature exceptionally high surf, large breaking waves and dangerous rip currents.

“This is a very rare weather event for Southern California,” said Chief Warrant Officer John Rose, a search and rescue mission coordinator at Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach. “For your safety, and for the safety of Coast Guard personnel and our interagency search and rescue partners, we strongly encourage you to stay off the water until these dangerous conditions subside.”

Mariners and beachgoers are encouraged to take the following precautions to protect themselves and their vessels:

• Monitor the weather and heed all marine warnings
• Recreational boaters, personal watercraft, paddle craft users, surfers and swimmers are advised to stay off the water due to hazardous sea conditions
• Stay off rocks and jetties, as waves can be unpredictable
• Double-check mooring lines when securing boats and take precautions for items stored loosely aboard
• Secure all paddle craft so they do not end up in the water and cause a false distress alert
• If mariners must leave the pier, they should create a float plan and send it to friends and families before getting underway. Items to note include of a description of the vessel, the number of people aboard, the destination and the expected return time
• Always wear a properly fitted life jacket when on the water and use VHF-FM channel 16 to notify rescuers in the event of an emergency

For additional information regarding the weather, visit the National Weather Service.