Santa Cruz County | Two dead after being swept out near Panther Beach

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY - Two women died after being rescued from the ocean near Panther Beach, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office told the Sentinel Monday. The two women were Harshita Nair, 21, and Mahial Sran, 20. Both were residents of Fremont, the Sheriff's Office reported.

The two women were rescued from the ocean June 10. Nair died June 11 and Sran died June 13, according to the Sheriff's Office.

On June 10 at 5:08 p.m., emergency personnel including the Santa Cruz County Fire Department, the city of Santa Cruz Fire Department and Cal Fire responded to reports of a person in the water near Panther Beach. California State Parks rescue swimmers and Santa Cruz Fire Department swimmers entered the water to rescue Nair and Sran.

One of the women was brought to Panther Beach. The other was brought to Yellow Bank Beach, which has no easy exit point. The woman and rescue swimmers on Yellow Bank Beach were lifted to the bluffs nearby via helicopter. Both women were administered CPR and then taken by separate ground ambulances to a hospital.

It's unclear where exactly Nair and Sran were before they were swept out, said Santa Cruz County Fire Capt. Kyle Breton Friday. According to early reports, the women were asleep near a keyhole in the cliffs leading from Panther Beach to Yellow Bank Beach. Per other sources, the women were awake and near the keyhole or on the other side.

The women were likely caught off guard by water coming in, Breton said, in the form of a high tide or sneaker wave.

Breton said that over the past month, fire departments have carried out five rescues in a 1-mile stretch in North Santa Cruz County between Panther Beach and Bonny Doon Beach. Breton said that beachgoers should be aware of tide conditions and area hazards, including the keyhole at the end of Panther Beach. When the waves are out, the keyhole provides access to Yellow Bank Beach. When the waves come in, the keyhole is no longer accessible, and the only way to reach Yellow Bank Beach is to swim.

"A lot of people go through when the tide is lower, not realizing that you cannot get back out of Yellow Bank Beach once the tide comes in," Breton said.

Officials in Santa Cruz County issued a warning to beachgoers late last week following multiple beach rescues, explaining that a long-period southerly swell elevated ocean hazards. On Sunday, two people were rescued from a beach in Capitola after they were trapped by the incoming tide on the beach below Cliff Drive. A beach hazards statement issued by the National Weather Service remains in effect until 5 a.m. Thursday with increased risk of sneaker waves and strong rip currents expected.

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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 5:06 PM.