Going to the beach and listening to the waves crash on the shore is as relaxing as it gets…until it isn’t.
California residents taking in the sights and sounds of the Pacific Ocean in Ventura were shocked to see a powerful wave come rolling onto the shore with little to no warning. An otherwise pleasant day by the beach quickly turned into a mad dash for safety when the wave crashed onto the beach and then rushed over a seawall.
It has been reported that eight people were injured from the powerful surge, with the worst of those injuries being broken bones. Considering how serious the situation looked based on the footage, the fact that more people didn’t fall victim to the rogue wave is a miniature miracle.
There have been plenty of videos of the “ocean attack,” but none captures the moment better than the first person point of view that this videographer provided. His commentary definitely helped to translate how shocking and unexpected the wave was for everyone on the California coast:
“Oh, oh sh*t, oh no, oh f**k.”
That’s absolutely terrifying…
People could hardly believe the footage out of California, and also couldn’t help but give the cameraman a lot of credit for somehow perfectly capturing the small scale natural disaster:
Camera man deserves some sort of medal. That was phenomenal recording
— Young Me (@BelowThats) December 29, 2023
The cameraman pic.twitter.com/rAKeyYrpbY
— Joe Mama (@DumbDraper) December 29, 2023
Running from a flood wave without breaking the camera’s perspective behind you 👏🏽
— Uncle Phiroh (@WhatUpD03) December 29, 2023
The National Weather Service described the event as “tremendous wave energy” that caused the ocean to spill over the seawall and into the beachside town, sweeping people off their feet and picking up and moving vehicles and other large objects. And because the sea is expected to produce more swells similar to this one in the near future, the recovery efforts on the coast have slowed (since people know their hard work could just be washed away once more).
This local news story provides more information on the scary event, as well as providing some additional perspectives of the exact moment the destructive wave crashed onto the shore. Check it out:
