SANTA CRUZ — Santa Cruz was still reeling the day after a large section at the end of the city’s 110-year-old wharf collapsed into the sea under the pressure of a pounding ocean swell that also flipped boats and caused widespread damage at a nearby harbor.
City officials said during a virtual press conference Tuesday that engineering crews were actively assessing the structural integrity of what remained from the formerly 2,745-foot-long local landmark after a roughly 150-foot section at its tip that was under construction dropped into the sea, dragging three constructions workers with it that were all safely rescued.
No significant injuries or additional victims had been identified as of Tuesday, the officials said, and the wharf remained closed along with the beaches that surround it — Main Beach and Cowell’s Beach.
Santa Cruz Superintendent of Parks and Recreation Mike Godsy said assessment data should begin pouring in Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, marking the very beginning of a long road to recovery.
“Obviously we’re in the moment of an emergency and so we’re assessing and really working with our partners to gather data and best understand really what is necessary for the next 24, 48, 72 hours,” said Godsy. “Safety and priority of asset protection is guiding those goals.”
Godsy reminded the digital audience that the section of wharf that succumbed to the wave action had been closed due to storm damage since late 2023. Because it was actively under construction and exposed to several different vulnerabilities — such as a exceptionally long pilings — it “provided really the perfect situation for it to collapse.”
He continued, “It’s an unfortunate event, but it does not speak to the overall integrity or structural capacity of the wharf itself.”
Still, the collapse scattered loads of debris into the roiling sea, including a large bathroom that drifted down the coast Monday before settling near the San Lorenzo River mouth. It remained there early Tuesday, tilted on the uneven sand as onlookers gazed in disbelief at what was before them.
Ryan Reber, division chief of the Santa Cruz Fire Department, said his team had fielded reports that some debris had drifted down south as far as Manresa State Beach — about a 20-minute drive down the coastline — though much of it ended up in the Santa Cruz Harbor.
Rick Melrose, a member of the harbor’s operations team, said Monday’s barrage sunk several boats parked in the coastal enclave, ripped apart docks and swept in piles of debris, including massive pilings from the wharf. He said the damage and wave action was reminiscent of what the harbor endured in 2011, after an 8.9 earthquake off the coast of Japan caused a tsunami surge in Santa Cruz that sunk 17 vessels, sidelined 50 more and resulted in about $17 million worth of damage.
Melrose said things got precarious around the time the wharf failed, close to 12:44 p.m. Monday.
“We just had constant, huge swells coming through. It was similar to the 2011 tsunami,” said Melrose. “People were down there trying to tie off boats and stuff, but still it was very dangerous during the surges.”
Santa Cruz Port Director Holland MacLaurie said preliminary damage estimates have been set at $20 million, but the rough seas were expected to persist through Tuesday night, carrying the possibility of even more destruction. The 2011 tsunami impacts were widespread, said MacLaurie, while Monday’s destruction was concentrated in the north end of the harbor.
“There’s significant damage to a number of docks in the north harbor and that’s going to require full replacement,” said MacLaurie, adding that water and power had been cut but will be restored when safety inspectors have given the go-ahead.
As news of the incident spread across the country, state Rep. Jimmy Panetta made a trip to Santa Cruz Tuesday to meet with city Mayor Fred Keeley, harbor officials and other first responders, and to take a tour of the storm-ravaged region. Among Panetta’s current priorities, as shared with the Sentinel, include a reminder of the dangers posed by the debris still floating in Santa Cruz waters and to encourage efforts to establish a timeline for when and how the wharf and its many businesses can reopen.
“The whole Santa Cruz area is the tip of the spear when it comes to these types of storm surges and how damaging they can be,” said Panetta.
Though damage estimates were still unavailable, Panetta said once they are finalized Gov. Gavin Newsom can begin the process of deciding if a federal disaster declaration request is warranted.
Paolo Marra-Biggs, taking a break from getting his doctorate in marine biology from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa to come home for the holidays, was walking back to his car on West Cliff Drive Monday after a session at the surf break Indicators when he heard a loud crack that caused him to reflexively turn toward the wharf.
“We looked over and it must have been one of the main supports because shortly thereafter, a couple seconds later, we saw the whole thing collapse,” said Marra-Biggs. “It fell in one giant floating piece.”
Marra-Biggs, a Watsonville native who splits his time in Hawaii as a boating and diving safety officer, added that he’s concerned that the county’s coastal infrastructure isn’t ready for the ferocity of storms that have arrived at local shores with alarming frequency in recent years.
“The last couple years we saw the Cement Ship, Capitola (wharf) and now this,” remarked Marra-Biggs. “It’s concerning that, one, our infrastructure is out of date or in need of repair, and then the larger swells doing more proportional damage.”
Santa Cruz Assistant City Manager Michelle Templeton said during the press event that the city has been proactively reinforcing the wharf’s infrastructure, but climate change has continued to bring on more intense storms that have impacted the wharf and much of the city’s coastline along West Cliff Drive.
“Mother nature holds the cards,” said Templeton. “We do know that these west swells are continuing to grow in severity and we’ll continue to assess the damage that’s been ongoing to determine how we’re going to proceed.”
For the time being, National Weather Service meteorologist Brayden Murdock said that ocean conditions remained hazardous Tuesday, but were expected to diminish slightly in the coming days. However, the weekend is likely to again bring large waves and he encouraged residents and visitors to keep their wits about them.
Meanwhile, Keeley reiterated in the news conference that in the coming days, the city’s focus will remain on the immediate response and cleanup effort. Eventually, he added, the city will shift its gaze to the horizon.
“I think, though, in the next weeks and months, we’re going to enter a different phase,” said Keeley. “That is a sober conversation about what happens when you are a jurisdiction on the edge of the continent in a world of climate change.”
