Two Bay Area College Students Die After Being Swept Out to Sea at Santa Cruz Beach

Two young women from Fremont, California died last week after being swept into the ocean along a stretch of Santa Cruz County coastline that authorities say has seen a dramatic and troubling spike in rescues. The deaths have drawn new attention to a category of ocean hazard — the sneaker wave — that kills people on the West Coast every year, often at beaches that look calm and inviting right up until the moment a wave arrives.

Harshita Nair, 21, a UC Berkeley student studying legal studies, died shortly after being rescued on June 10. Mahial Sran, 20, a San José State University student pursuing public health and psychology, died two days later on June 13. The two friends had grown up together and graduated from Washington High School in Fremont in 2023. Both were expected to graduate college in 2027. They were at Bonny Doon Beach in Santa Cruz County on June 10 when the ocean took them.

The Keyhole and the Tide

The geography of Bonny Doon Beach plays a direct role in what makes it dangerous. The beach is connected to nearby Yellow Bank Beach through a narrow passage locals call "the keyhole," but that connection closes as the tide rises.

"Panther and Yellow Bank Beach are separated by what we call the keyhole," said Santa Cruz County Fire Capt. Kyle Breton. "And as soon as the tide comes in or gets high, the keyhole is inaccessible. And so, what happens is people go through the keyhole thinking they're gonna have a great day at the beach, and then all of a sudden, they get cut off, and options run out very, very quickly."