SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Surfers in Southern California took advantage of decent waves ahead of the high water expected from a tsunami trekking across the Pacific Ocean.
Off-duty California High Patrol trooper William Hill and two friends unloaded long boards and scrambled into their wet suits Friday on the cliffs above Cowell Beach in Santa Cruz, where a half dozen surfers were already in the water.
They saw the tsunami warnings Thursday night on TV and drove two hours from Stockton to be in the water when the tsunami hit.
The good waves Friday morning had nothing to do with the tsunami, which can't be surfed. But the tide can pull way out and surge, which gives surfers the chance to be in the water when that happens.