‘Sneaker Wave’ Kills Man Visiting California Beach Days After a Woman Dies in Oregon

Zachary Stieber
By Zachary Stieber
March 27, 2019US News
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‘Sneaker Wave’ Kills Man Visiting California Beach Days After a Woman Dies in Oregon
Andrew Machi, left, died after he was swept into the sea by a sneaker wave near Trinidad, Calif., on March 22, 2019. (Brandie Machi/Facebook)

A man visiting a California beach on his birthday was killed by a sneaker wave, officials said.

Andrew Machi was visiting the North Coast near Trinidad when he was swept off a rock by a sneaker wave.

The incident took place on March 22 just before noon, the U.S. Coast Guard told the North Coast Journal.

The Coast Guard sent a helicopter and a lifeboat from a nearby station to try to save Machi.

“The helicopter arrived at the incident within six minutes of takeoff, located the missing man in the water, hoisted and flew him directly to emergency medical care at Mad River hospital,” Coast Guard Cmdr Brendan Hilleary said. He was soon pronounced dead.

Machi was visiting the beach for his birthday and was fishing when he was swept into the sea. He turned 39 on Friday.

The older sister of Machi’s wife launched a GoFundMe fundraiser to help meet the funeral expenses for the family.

“On Friday Brandie, Drew and the kids were on vacation at the ocean in Eureka. It was his birthday. Drew was fishing on the rocks and A wave grabbed him and threw him in the ocean. Brandie jumped in and tried to save him but he was about 15 feet out and the water was throwing her back into the rocks. She ran for help but he died. She is beside herself,” wrote Jamie Tracey.

NTD Photo
Andrew Machi with his family in a file photo. (Brandie Machi/Facebook)

“She was alone with the kids for hours before any family arrived and now she’s back but won’t go home without him. his body will be brought back on Tuesday. Coroner said he believes he hit his head on rocks and was knocked out,” she added.

In a later update, Tracey said that the funeral was scheduled for March 30.

She thanked supporters for donating so much money; as of March 27, there was over $46,000 raised.

According to the National Weather Service, sneaker waves “can strike seemingly without warning and have been responsible for numerous deaths in recent years” and across much of the West Coast the waves “kill more people than all other weather hazards combined.”

“Sneaker waves are deadly, larger-than-average swells that can suddenly and without warning surge dozens of feet higher up the beach than expected, overtaking the unwary. They can break over rocks and lift logs on the beach with deadly force. Individuals caught in the path of these deadly waves can wind up being pulled off the beach into frigid water and swift, ocean currents,” the service stated.

“They are called sneaker waves because they often appear with no warning after long periods of quiet surf and much smaller waves, lulls that can last for 10 to 20 minutes. People arriving on the beach see the smaller waves and assume they are not going to run up on the beach any higher than what they are currently observing. Based on what they see, they get too close to the water and stop paying attention. It is this calm that lulls people into a sense of security. Survivors all say the same thing: They thought they were far enough from the surf to be safe. They never saw the wave coming.”

On Saturday, March 23, volunteers responded to the beach for a woman who was crushed by a large driftwood log when it…

Nehalem Bay Fire & Rescue 发布于 2019年3月24日周日

The California death came just days after a woman was crushed by a driftwood log caught in a sneaker wave.

According to the Nehalem Bay Fire & Rescue, the wave struck the log and slammed it into the woman.

The woman sustained serious injuries.

According to The Oregonian, all major sneaker waves since 1990 have occurred between October and April and the number of incidents typically peak in November and March. At least 21 people have been killed by sneaker waves since 1990 on the Oregon coast alone.

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