California residents advised to watch out for high surfs
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Residents in Monterey, California are being advised to watch out for high surf expected with this weekend's storm.
"Don't put yourself in a dangerous position," said Sean Nowland with the California State Parks, Monterey County.
"Be careful and stay away from the water." That is the advice California state park lifeguards are urging people to follow as a storm is bringing large waves the coast this weekend.
"Either stay on, stay on. Either stay on the roads or stay on the dry sand. Don't go anywhere where where the sand or or rocks are wet," Nowland spoke.
Northwest-facing beaches, like Asilomar State Beach and Pebble Beach in Monterey County, tend to see the biggest waves and this time is no different. They're expecting 10-to-20 foot waves.
"Watch from a distance. It's beautiful to to watch the ocean and see the big waves and see these kind of only couple of year event storms that we have. But at the same time, it's extremely dangerous," Nowland shared.
Taking safety advice seriously
That is why some locals are taking the safety advice seriously.
"You want to stay back from, like, where the waves are breaking, because even if it looks like the ocean's calm, you know, a big wave can just come out of nowhere," said Mathew Ely, a surfer.
"Just take precautions and stay little away from the waves and, yeah, leave it, leave it to the surfers and the folks that really, you know, are interacting with the water every day," said Nick Talbott, a Monterey resident.
California state parks lifeguards says they have staged staff and water rescue equipment up and down the Monterey Coast so help will be ready if needed. But even with the staff and gear, first responders say they still need your help.
"If you are going to come to to one of our state park beaches, where the surf will be will be bigger than normal, I'm just asking stay off wet rocks, stay on the dry sand. Always keep your eye on the ocean," Nowland expressed.
