Friends of the 24-year-old woman swept away by powerful waves at a California beach have recounted the terrifying moments when they lost sight of her in the surf.
Se Nah Park, 24, disappeared from Panther State Beach in the Bay Area last week after gathering around a bonfire with five friends. She has not been found.
Park’s friends, Marie and Jasmine, told the East Bay Times that they had burned note cards bearing their wishes for the future before leaving the beach as waves battered the coastline at about 8 p.m.
Marie said there had been no warning signs that anything was wrong. The group was unaware of National Weather Service advisories about dangerous surf conditions capable of producing deadly waves.
Before leaving, the friends hugged and exchanged what would become their final words to Park.
“The last thing I said to her was, ‘I’m so grateful that you’ve been my friend for so long, and even if we haven’t talked in a while, I really want this to continue. Can we stay friends?’” Marie recalled.
“And she said, ‘Yes. I really like that.’”
As the group made its way through a narrow passage in the rocks known as a keyhole, accompanied by Park’s two male cousins, a massive wave crashed over them.
The force knocked them off their feet, left them disoriented and swept them into the water.
Jasmine surfaced just before another wave hurled her against a cliff beside the ocean, dislocating her shoulder.
She recalled the chaos and fear of those moments.
“You can’t really see anything because you’re surrounded with so much fear,” Jasmine said. “And it’s in the dark, and it was so loud.”
Park’s cousins helped Jasmine through the rocky passage to safety before returning to search for Park.
They heard nothing. Jasmine said she thought she saw an iPhone flashlight shining from the face of a swell about 30 feet away, but she could not determine whether the light belonged to Park.
After realizing Park was missing and being unable to reach 911 from the beach, the group rushed up a trail along the cliff.
Once they reached a spot with a cellphone signal, they called emergency responders.
Hoping Park had somehow made it back to Marie and another friend, Jasmine and Park’s cousins asked them a devastating question.
DON’T MISS: Greta Thunberg Defends Climate Protests Amid Growing Criticism
“Is Se Nah with you?” they called.
Park was nowhere to be found.
That was when Marie understood that her friend had disappeared.
“This isn’t happening,” she told herself.
Emergency crews arrived and treated the group. Jasmine was taken to a hospital by ambulance.
Marie collapsed while telling the East Bay Times what happened, overcome by the belief that she should have been the one swept away.
“It should have been me,” she said.
Marie said she has worried about facing online harassment from people who blame her for Park’s disappearance. She has also been struggling with intense guilt.
“I should have known not to come here. I should have known better,” Marie said. “Everyone’s telling me it’s not my fault, but I should have taken care of everyone. There’s a lot of should-haves and could-haves. But I just want her back.”
Marie’s guilt became so overwhelming that she expected to be turned away from Se Nah’s church, San Jose Christian Alliance Church, during a special prayer service.
“I expected them to turn me down at the door,” she said, but instead encountered an outpouring of compassion.
“I was overwhelmed at how much love and forgiveness there was.”
Jasmine said the pastor’s wife told her she had been given a second chance at life.
The U.S. Coast Guard ended its search for Park the day after she disappeared, saying its “deepest condolences are with her family and loved ones.”
On Tuesday, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office used a fixed-wing aircraft to search for Park but could not locate her. The only items found have been her shoes and a keychain attached to her bag.
Missing-person flyers have been posted at the beach, while Park’s friends continued searching for several days after her disappearance. Marie said she has been haunted by thoughts of what Park could miss if she is gone.
“Ever since I left the beach, all I can think about is her face,” Marie said, “and what it must have been like, and how cold, and how she’s not going to be able to spend another Christmas or Thanksgiving and do the things that she’s been wanting to do.”
