Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Receives Report of Body in Water 

January 1, 2025 – Monterey County Sheriff’s Office officials report that they received a report of a possible body that was seen floating in the water about 4 miles off the coastline of Marina State Beach at about 11:00 A.M. on December 29th, 2024. The report was made by the crew of a local whale watch tour boat.

Assistance was requested from the Coast Guard who responded to the area but was unable to locate a body.

On December 23rd, 2024, about 2:00 P.M., the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a male subject that had been swept off a rock along 17-Mile-Drive near Point Joe, after being hit by a sneaker wave. Efforts were made by CalFire, California State Parks and the Coast Guard to locate the individual but were met with negative results.

On December 23rd, 2024, about two hours earlier, the Marina Police Department received a report of a second individual who was also reported to have been swept out to sea by large waves. That individual was also not located.

Weather conditions on the day of these incidents as well as on the following days, were not suitable for safe searches of these two missing individuals.

Active search efforts by the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office have been suspended. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office and local law enforcement will investigate any reported sightings of human remains made to 9-1-1.

Source: Monterey County Sheriff’s Office