Threat from Sneaker waves on the Oregon coast this week, says the National Weather Service

Portland, Ore. – Monday to Friday there is an increased risk for sneaker waves on the beaches along the Oregon coast, the National Weather Service said.

“Beach visitors, including those who take part in razor shells, have to be vigilant and keep an eye on incoming waves,” said NWS.

NWS released the warning on X on Monday and said that sneaker waves are possible for a large part of the week between 24 and 28 March. Sneaker waves can and were fatal.

The waves, which initially appear smaller than they really are, can suddenly change people and even sweep them into the sea. The cold sea water can paralyze people within minutes. According to the National Weather Service, the waves can wash more than 150 feet up the beach. Two children died in 2020 after they had been reached by an off-beach path at sea by a wave of sneakers.

Sneaker waves earned its name “because they often appear without warning after long periods of surfing and much smaller waves,” said the NWS. The waves also wear a lot of sand and gravel that fill a person’s clothing and “they can deviate like concrete like concrete, which they render powerlessly so as not to pull off the beach through the wave,” said the NWS,

Relatives: What are sneakers and why are they so dangerous?

Sneaker waves are also powerful enough to lift heavy tree trunks and debris on the beach and to plunge them back to humans. A woman suffered serious injuries in 2019 after a wave raised the tree trunk on which she was sitting, and turned her and crushed it underneath.

Relatives: Woman “crushed” from Log to Sneaker Wave meets the beach on the Oregon coast

People who visit the coast should never turn their back on the ocean, say officials.

Here are some other tips from the NWS to stay safe on the beach:

• Expect and listen to changes in incoming waves
• Stay remaining from the ocean when you consider it necessary
• Stand along the surf or near the water from rocks
• Never stand on protocols on the beach