Two People Reported in Water at Fort Bragg’s Noyo Bay During High Surf Warning

Our media partners at the RedHeaded Blackbelt originally published this story. We are sharing it with their kind permission.

Emergency crews responded to a water rescue at Noyo Bay in Fort Bragg shortly before 9 a.m. today, Saturday, Nov. 14, after two people were reported in the water, according to scanner traffic. Later, the two made it back to the beach, but it is unclear how. One person was reported to have a head injury and is being taken to the hospital.

A responder reported that one patient was walking toward them, while radio traffic indicated one patient could not walk out. The responder requested blankets.

The rescue response came as a National Weather Service high surf warning was in effect for coastal Mendocino and southwestern Humboldt counties. The warning, in effect until 4 a.m. Sunday, calls for dangerously large breaking waves of 30 to 40 feet along the affected coast. The Weather Service said waves can surge up beaches, wash over rocks and jetties, and sweep people from docks into turbulent water. A second large swell is forecast to arrive late Sunday and continue into Monday.

How the two people ended up in the water was unclear from the initial scanner reports. This is a developing story.

Read our previous reporting on the the surf warning:

Storm Brings Hail, 47-Foot Seas Offshore, and a Dangerous Night of Surf to the North Coast, 11/14/2026