A cyclist in Ventura County, California says he feels fortunate to have escaped with only minor injuries after a massive, rogue wave crashed ashore Thursday.
The wave struck as onlookers had gathered at Pierpont Beach in the city of Ventura to watch the high surf caused by a large offshore storm system.
Video recorded by Colin Hoag shows people first casually watching as the wave breaks and barrels toward a short brick wall at the dead-end of Seward Avenue. When it becomes clear the wave isn’t stopping, they turn and run for their lives.
Several people were knocked to the ground and swept down the road. Nine people were hospitalized for minor to moderate injuries and the wave caused extensive damage to the oceanfront Inn on the Beach hotel, officials said.
Gilbert, who didn’t share his last name, was wearing a neon green jacket and standing with his bicycle next to the beach at the time.
“The wave just kept on coming. It had so much energy to it … It kept getting bigger,” he told KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff on Friday.
Gilbert was knocked to the ground and slid into a parking sign as the foamy ocean water overwhelmed the street. He suffered only minor scrapes on his leg and also credits his helmet for protecting him.
“It could have been a lot worse. I was very fortunate to not have a broken knee,” Gilbert said.
Hoag told KTLA the wave looked, and felt, like a tsunami.
“It was horrific,” Hoag told KTLA. ‘There was a lot of screaming, a lot of yelling. I didn’t know how far [the wave] would go.”
On Friday, Ventura County closed all public beaches and took advantage of low tide to build an eight-foot sand berm that officials hope will hold through the remainder of the high surf event.
The National Weather Service says the dangerous conditions are expected through Saturday with waves up to 25 feet possible along California’s Central Coast, and up to 20 feet in Ventura and Los Angeles counties.