WATCH: Portion of Historic California Wharf Collapses into Ocean

A huge chunk of the historic wharf is Santa Cruz, CA is now fish food…

Earlier today, over one hundred feet of the wharf collapsed into the ocean as the coast was slammed by gargantuan waves.

Three people fell into the water along with the wharf, though they all made it back to shore in the end and there were no serious injuries reported.

Here are some clips:

🚨🚨A portion of the Santa Cruz Pier has collapsed, and is floating away. Look at the ominous wave action on the horizon. You are risking your life, and those of the people that would need to try and save you by getting in or too close to the water. #CAwx 🚨🚨 https://t.co/5vCNQogvtI

— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) December 23, 2024

🚨🇺🇸 MOTHER NATURE TAKES A BITE OUT OF HISTORIC SANTA CRUZ WHARF

A section of California's iconic Santa Cruz Wharf succumbed to monster waves during Monday's assault by 30-foot swells.

The dramatic collapse sent three people into the churning waters below, with Santa Cruz Fire… pic.twitter.com/SFZP6J9JEN

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 23, 2024

A significant section of the Santa Cruz Wharf in California collapsed today amid intense winter storms and high surf conditions

⚠️ The collapse occurred around 12:45 p.m., and it involved approximately 150 feet of the pier's end, which included public restrooms, the closed… pic.twitter.com/dHok6lLX4C

— Culture War (@CultureWar2020) December 24, 2024

Video captured the moment a person was rescued after the Santa Cruz Wharf partially collapsed on Monday. In the video, you can see a person standing on a part of the wharf floating in the water as a rescuer on a jet ski picks them up. In total two people had to be rescued and one… pic.twitter.com/do8FlG2d9M

— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) December 23, 2024

The Los Angeles Times reported:

Three people fell into the water when more than a hundred feet of the Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed into the Pacific Ocean on Monday, as the coastal city was pounded with dangerous high surf.

A city employee and two contractors were at the end of the pier checking on its stability and how it was withstanding rough waves when about 150 feet of the pier gave way, tossing the workers into the cold water, city officials said during a news conference. Two of them were rescued by lifeguards in the area, and the third was able to get to safety on their own.

Video from the Northern California city showed a part of the pier floating in the water.

The incident occurred while the area was expected to see dangerous high surf along the beaches, including in Point Reyes National Seashore, the San Francisco Peninsula coast, Monterey Bay and the Big Sur coast, according to the National Weather Service. The heavy surf is the result of a series of atmospheric river events that are bringing heavy rain to Northern California, Oregon and Washington state.

Similar weather resulted in significant damage last winter to the piers in nearby Capitola and Seacliff.

Santa Cruz City Manager Matt Huffaker said city officials were expecting strong waves and dangerous conditions due to the atmospheric river events, and that climate change has continuously made actual weather conditions more dangerous than what city staff had prepared for.

“We continue to see that winter season over winter season,” Huffaker said. “Each year it’s really blowing through our forecast.”

CBS News has more:

Santa Cruz Fire confirmed two people needed assistance being pulled from the water by life guards and a third person was able to get out of the surf on their own without help. The Santa Cruz Police Department was also at the scene.

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The Santa Cruz Wharf has been closed until further notice, officials said. The public is being asked to stay away from the area.

Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley and other city officials spoke about the incident shortly before 2:30 p.m. Keeley noted that the part of the pier that collapsed “was a portion of the municipal wharf that has already been determined to need to be taken down and repaired over time.”

It included the Dolphin restaurant and one of the public bathrooms on the wharf. Keeley also confirmed that the people who fell into the water were city personnel who were working on the wharf at the time, but said that there were no injuries and all people were accounted for. The area of the wharf that washed away has been closed to the public since January of this year, officials said.

The mayor noted that in the collapse, they lost “many pilings, a lot of the deck of the wharf itself, as well as the restroom and what remained of the Dolphin restaurant.”

The public restroom had already washed ashore on the beach, but the mayor said that the rest of the debris that remained in the water presented “serious hazards for people and for any kind of navigation” and asked that people stay out of the water and off the beach for their safety and keep “their vehicles, their boats or other devices out in the water.”

The mayor said city personnel were “assessing…the structural integrity of the wharf” given the incoming storm that would likely have additional impacts.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office confirmed the governor was briefed on the damage and said the California Office of Emergency Services was coordinating with local officials to help provide support.