High Surf, Redwood Coast
- When
- March 12, 7:00 AM PST to 2:30 PM PST
- Where
- Redwood Coast forecast zone
- Deaths
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $10,000
High Surf in California, March 12, 1996
Crab boat Ocean Gypsy was found by US Coast Guard helicopter in the surf of Mad River Beach. The two fishermen on board were missing and presumed lost (one body was eventually found).
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS EKA wrote it up.
Crab boat Ocean Gypsy was found by US Coast Guard helicopter in the surf of Mad River Beach. The two fishermen on board were missing and presumed lost (one body was eventually found). The exact time of the incident cannot be determined but occured between 0700 PST and 1430 PST. Incident probably weather related due to strong winds and rough surf.
Event by event
1 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Surf, Redwood Coast | 1996-03-12 | 26 | Male | Boat | Direct |
| High Surf, Redwood Coast | 1996-03-12 | 44 | Male | Boat | Direct |
What these are
- High Surf
- Large waves breaking on the shore that caused damage, erosion or casualties.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado in California, March 12, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, March 12 to 13, 1996
- Heavy Snow in California, March 12 to 13, 1996
- Wildfire in New Mexico, March 12 to 19, 1996
- Funnel Cloud in California, March 12, 1996
- Hail in California, March 12, 1996
- Hail in California, March 12, 1996
- Hail in California, March 12, 1996
- Hail in California, March 12, 1996
- Hail in California, March 12, 1996
- Tornado in California, March 12, 1996
- Funnel Cloud in California, March 12, 1996
More
Every storm in California in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in California, March 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5537682.