A high risk of dangerous rip currents continues along the San Diego County coastline after the National Weather Service extended its Beach Hazards Statement through Friday, warning swimmers and surfers to use extreme caution in the water.
Powerful southern swells are creating rough surf and hazardous ocean conditions from San Diego County north through Orange County, increasing the risk of strong rip currents that can quickly pull people away from shore.
On Mission Beach and at Tourmaline Surf Park, beachgoers are balancing recreation with awareness for the danger.
Professional surf coach Roberto Baquerizo knows firsthand how quickly conditions can become life-threatening.
“A lot of water moving, a lot of currents,” Baquerizo said. “You start getting out of breath. You get fearful. That’s the time you have to calm down and make smart decisions.”
M.G. PerezM.G. Perez
Roberto Baquerizo is a professional surf coach with experience in surviving life-threatneing rip currents. Sunday, he checked out swells at Tourmaline Surf Park where he offered lessons, Pacific Beach, Calif., June 14, 2026.
The National Weather Service says waves could reach up to 7 feet this week.
For experienced surfers, the warning is a reminder that even seasoned athletes have to respect the power of the Pacific Ocean.
Bruce Burgos, a professional surfer from Ecuador who trains with Baquerizo, said panic is often the biggest mistake people make when caught in a rip current.
“A lot of people get scared or they get impatient,” Burgos said through a translation. “But that’s something they definitely should not do.”
You start getting out of breath. You get fearful. That’s the time you have to calm down and make smart decisions.
Roberto Baquerizo, Professional Surf Coach
Experienced surfer Katherine Austin said surviving challenging conditions requires constant focus.
“You don’t slack off when you’ve got a slab of freezing cold green water coming at you,” Austin told NBC 7. “You don’t think about how tired you are. You paddle faster.”
San Diego lifeguards stress that swimmers caught in a rip current should not attempt to swim directly against it. Instead, they recommend swimming parallel to the shoreline until free of the current before heading back to shore.
Baquerizo said many people exhaust themselves by fighting the current head-on.
“You’re using all your strength, all the gas in the tank, and you’re wasting it in the wrong direction,” he said. “Against the force that’s way bigger than you.”