Capitola braces for high surf

The National Weather Service has issued a high surf advisory for much of Northern California including the Monterey Bay until 3 p.m. Friday .

Swells as high as 14′-16′ are expected. Weather officials warn sneaker waves can pull people into the ocean, rip currents can trap people in the surf and large shore breaks can hurt beachgoers.

It’s prompted at least one surfer to try catching fish over waves.”Just as a surfer, it was too big for me to go out,” said Cathy Bramanti of Seacliff. “And with the red tide still lingering, as far as the water not being that clean, I know that I’m not going to be getting into the water.”

The City of Capitola has been ready for weeks, preparing the most vulnerable parts of the city like the wharf, Esplanade and the beachfront Venetians. Beach equipment was removed and sand berms were built to break up the waves that could come ashore.

City leaders aren’t too concerned right now because it’s a westerly swell, however they are still keeping their crews on high alert.

“We’re most vulnerable to a southerly swell, so I think we’re ok,” said Steve Jesberg, public works director of Capitola. “We still have our berms in place and we’re ready for it just in case, but we will be monitoring and at this point we don’t see it being a giant concern for us.”

Longtime Capitola resident Jack Chestnut feels the same way – at least today – but he’s heard about the damage that can happen to the Venetians, where his family owns property. That’s why they plan to take some safety measures going into the winter.

“When the storms start coming in this winter, the windows behind us will be boarded up, just on the wild chance that there could be a big storm and crash into that window,” Chestnut said. “Once, before my brother owned the place, a log went right through that window there. So it can be dangerous, but not today .”

A lesson learned and not to be repeated.