Bay Area Riptides Claim 2 Women; Boy, 13, Missing

Two women drowned Sunday and a boy was missing after being swept to sea by powerful undercurrents at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach, Coast Guard authorities said Monday.

Petty Officer Paul Rhynard said rescuers retrieved the two unconscious women from the ocean and took them to local hospitals, where they were pronounced dead. The 13-year-old boy was still missing Monday.

“The waves were only about 3 feet high, but it was low tide, and in that area there’s a vicious riptide and undercurrents that can prove dangerous,” Rhynard said. “I’d say the riptide was pulling objects 100 yards out to sea.

“The surf there is dangerous any time of year, but we tend to see more of these problems in the summer when more people go to the beach and they’re less likely to know the risks,” Rhynard said.