Two victims who died last week after being swept into the ocean in Santa Cruz lived in San Jose.
The victims were a couple, identified by family as Pedro and Emma Nelly, and were soon to be married.
Pedro's father said it is an indescribable pain he feels after receiving news of the deaths. The couple was hit by a wave and swept off the rocks along West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz on July 16.
Pedro had just immigrated to the United States from Mexico four years ago. His father said Pedro was a hard worker in search of the American dream.
Pedro's family is heartbroken after also learning Emma was pregnant.
According to Pedro's father, the couple got on a rock to take pictures when the wave came out of nowhere. He wishes his son could be with him and could give him one last hug.
David Hill, a deputy harbor master, responded to the scene on his boat. Rescue swimmer jumped into the ocean and pulled the victims to the boat, but emergency personnel were unable to resuscitate them.
Hill said there are dangers we may not always thinks about.
"You may have a perfectly calm day where it's not a lot of wind, there's not a lot of chop in the water," he said. "But there could be a swell system that creates a wave every 15 minutes. You may not realize it."
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And if anyone is going to stand somewhere near the ocean, make sure it is dry.
"Any surface before standing on it, you want to see if it's wet first because if there's water, water splashed on it," Hill said.
Hill also said to pay attention to any blocked off areas or signs warning of dangers along the coast.
