San Mateo County Harbor District adds beach safety measures

Sea Valor uses sailing activities to help heal people with physical wounds and post-traumatic stress disorder and noted that between November and January at Bay Area beaches, 12 people got swept into the ocean, with only four surviving, prompting a push for better beach safety.

Each station will be around 8 feet tall and consist of improved signs in several languages with warnings about sneaker waves. The stations will have a cabinet that holds a Glasdon life-ring buoy and a 100-foot rope to throw to someone in emergencies. The buoys will help provide a lifeline against sneaker waves found in the Bay Area. Such waves run up on a beach farther than others and are strong enough to drag people in the ocean, leading to potential drowning deaths. Two stations will be installed on Mavericks Beach, with another near Mavericks Beach and one near Surfers Beach. The four sign stations would include detailed warnings and the beach’s name for people to identify when calling emergency services.

“The idea is that you see the sign, you call 911, and very quickly it can say Cowell Ranch Beach or North Shore Cowell Ranch Beach. That alone might save a minute or two, which is valuable in making sure that the resources and the professional rescuers get there,” Jones said.

The San Mateo County Harbor District Board of Commissioners approved permits and sign installation at its May 19 meeting, with final permission from the California Coastal Commission needed. The Harbor District is aiming for a July installation. The stations are a pilot program that will expand to other areas along the coast if approved by the Coastal Commission. Each station costs $750.

The Arunay Foundation is also involved with helping fund the signs and raising awareness. Tarun and Sharmistha Pruthi created the foundation following the death of their son, 12-year-old Arunay Pruthi, who was swept out at Cowell Ranch Beach Access in the Half Moon Bay area in January.

The two spoke at the May 19 meeting and said while it was not a certainty that a life ring would have saved their son, they felt it could have helped and increased the odds. They noted people on the beach were trying to tie tents together to create a rope to throw because no life ring was available. Both believe that more effective signs would have made them more aware and careful.

“We really have to do something to stop this from happening, and this is, I think, a small step in that direction,” Tarun Pruthi said.

Jones said he has around 20 other stations in storage that he can’t put up because he doesn’t have permits. He noted many other states have buoys at beaches, but very few in California, which he said will help save lives. His goal is to make sure there are as many stations available as possible to educate people and help prevent any other family from experiencing such a tragedy.

“The stations should be on the beach right now,” Jones said.

Harbor District General Manager Jim Pruett said the death was a tragedy that will spur better safety warnings. He noted a uniform baseline safety beach standard does not currently exist in the county, with beach warnings dependent on what government organization has jurisdiction. Pruett said concerns about signs becoming an eyesore and maintenance of signs and buoys are considered, while government organizations also must get permission from the Coastal Commission for installation of permanent fixtures. He said the Harbor District is working with different agencies on providing a unified baseline for safety warnings and restrictions at beaches in the county for better public safety.

“That’s what the Harbor District is trying to do. There are a lot of different players, and we are trying to coordinate that,” Pruett said.

Harbor District board President Virginia Chang Kiraly said people are tempted to go out to the beach, particularly after the pandemic, but aren’t always aware of the dangers of sneaker waves. She said the Harbor District is educating as many people as possible, but could only do so much, which is why the Harbor District is working with the county, the Sheriff’s Office, Sea Valor and the Arunay Foundation. She noted this is a small step to reduce deaths and tragedies on the coast and that more action is needed.

“In my opinion, because of our long coastline, we need to have a countywide water rescue program that focuses on the coast,” Chang Kiraly said.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 102