Sacramento Man Dies After Being Swept to Sea on Sonoma Coast
A man tragically lost his life over the weekend after a powerful wave swept him into the ocean while he was standing on a rock along the Sonoma Coast.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as 43-year-old Shanglong Tang of Sacramento in a Facebook post on March 4. Authorities responded to a water rescue at Gerstle Cove around 10:41 a.m. on Sunday, March 2, after reports that two men had been standing on the rocks when a wave pulled one of them into the sea.
The sheriff’s office helicopter, Henry 1, located Tang in the water and conducted a rescue. Emergency personnel administered CPR, but he was pronounced dead at 11:26 a.m.
The incident occurred as a high surf warning was in effect for Sonoma, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties, with dangerous waves and strong rip currents creating hazardous conditions.
Authorities continue to warn visitors about the unpredictable power of the ocean. San Francisco Fire Department Captain Samuel Menchac told KGO that “even at ankle level, it can sweep you out there.”
