SANTA CRUZ – Engineers continued to look at the structural integrity of the Santa Cruz Wharf on Tuesday, a day after white waves ripped a part of the 110-year-old wharf into Monterey Bay.

Santa Cruz officials didn’t provide a timetable for reopening town's landmark or any of the restaurants on it, citing turbulent surf that continued to pound considered one of the longest wood wharves on the West Coast. Meanwhile, parts of the wharf — in addition to the toilets that after stood near its western end — continued to rock and slosh offshore.

“There are many, many, multiple dynamic layers to what is being evaluated, from the beaches to the wharf structure itself,” said Mike Godsey, head of town’s parks and recreation department, adding that “public safety is obviously the primary goal .” ”

“Most likely it will be a long process,” he added. “Time will tell.”

The collapse added to an extended history of battering ocean waves and destroyed landmarks along the Monterey Bay coast known for its pristine beauty. It also brought recent dangers for restaurants and small businesses along the favored Santa Cruz attraction, as restaurants were forced to shut unexpectedly – and indefinitely – through the holiday season.

“Commercially, it will have a big impact,” said Duf Fischer, former president and adviser to the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce.

The collapse occurred around 12:45 p.m. Monday when about 150 feet of the wharf tore into the bay as powerful waves overwhelmed the structure. A public toilet and a part of the wharf that after housed the Dolphin Restaurant broke away and started floating nearby.

Due to wreck from a storm in December 2023, the world had been closed for repairs and construction. As a result, crews had already demolished The Dolphin restaurant, inbuilt the Sixties, to make room for repairs to missing and damaged poles. Construction was expected to be accomplished in March 2025.

Three staff inspecting the wharf fell into the choppy ocean waves when the tip of the wharf broke in two. Two of them were rescued by lifeguards, while the third person was capable of swim to safety, officials said.

The collapse surprised people eating and sightseeing on Monday and compelled them to flee while rescuers went into the water to rescue construction staff who had fallen in. Cody Wright, 29, of Folsom, remembered the flickering lights inside Stagnaro Bros. when he visited Former employees get a glimpse contained in the decades-old establishment. Then all of them ran outside.

“I looked down and there’s a bobcat dredge in the ocean,” Wright said. He watched in awe as the lavatory that was once on the dock floated to the mouth of the San Lorenzo River. The sight was particularly astonishing considering he had seen stronger storms hit the wharf – including one last yr that left the water within the Stagnaro Bros. aquarium sloshing “like a bathtub.”

“I think the waves hit it just right,” he said of the wharf collapse.

The destructive waves gave the impression to be the results of two powerful low-pressure systems within the Pacific Ocean, each of which had stalled recently, producing howling winds of over 60 miles per hour that kicked up ocean waves for 1000’s of miles, Golden Gate Weather said Service meteorologist, Jan Null. With nothing to push these low-pressure systems out of the ocean, winds off the coast of central California on Monday created sea waves that peaked every 20 to 26 seconds. “Normally such swellings are registered every 10 seconds,” said Null.

For many, Monday's collapse was nothing in need of “shocking.”

Opened in 1914, the Santa Cruz structure became the longest wood wharf on the West Coast by necessity since the waters of Monterey Bay near the Santa Cruz coast are shallow, said Ross Gibson, 69, historian for the Santa Cruz Sentinel. A railway line was also built on the wharf, which became the central berth for steamships to anchor and unload cargo and passengers.

After World War II, the wharf was transformed right into a tourist and dining attraction in addition to a hub for fishermen.

“It’s a main street in the middle of the ocean — a place where we enjoy our interaction with Monterey Bay,” Gibson said.

“For many years it was the center of the Italian fishing community, which gradually emerged after Cottardo Stagnaro left the ship as a cabin boy and discovered how much he loved this place,” Gibson added, referring to the patriarch and his family later opened and operates Stagnaro Bros. “It's a great loss for the entire community because we don't know how long these restaurants will be able to sustain themselves.”

Nevertheless, Null warned tourists and beachgoers to avoid the coast in the subsequent few days as swells and swells are still expected there.

“The pattern doesn’t really change,” Null said. “Stay away from the water. Think about how far away you want to be and make sure it’s twice as far away from the water.”

Originally published: December 24, 2024 at 3:35 pm PST

SANTA CLARA – The 49ers' injury list was long on Wednesday and only time will tell in the event that they might be without some key players in Week 5 or if it was more of a precautionary measure given the upcoming schedule and a sweltering day.

Middle linebacker Fred Warner (ankle) and tight end George Kittle (ribs) were spared from practice, which was the most well liked practice of the 12 months at 97 degrees. Also defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos (knee), wide receiver Jacob Cowing (shoulder), wide receiver Chris Conley (oblique) and linebacker Dee Winters (ankle).

Those who were limited were defensive tackle Jordan Elliott (knee), safety Talanoa Hufanga (ankle), defensive tackle Kevin Givens (triceps) and linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (ankle).

Given that Warner was unable to drag off a 30-13 win over New England while Kittle did, his status is most concerning. During the media viewing window at practice, he was seen jogging without hobbling to the side.

The seventh-year linebacker has put together spectacular performances in the primary 4 games of the season, capped by a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown against New England, and is a candidate for his second NFL Player of the Month award in his Career.

Warner, who said Sunday he would have returned to the sport if he could, didn’t provide any details about his status for the Arizona game. Asked how he felt, Warner smiled and said: “Wonderful. “Legendary, as they say” after which was understandably vague in regards to the injury.

“My plan is to play, of course,” Warner said. “I’m just going to continue to listen to what the classroom is asking me to do and take it one day at a time.”

Coach Kyle Shanahan said all the injured players were “day to day” as they were Monday, meaning there have been no setbacks or additional information that will rule them out of a likelihood to play. But he's factoring within the injuries because the Cardinals come to Levi's Stadium on Sunday after which play Seattle on the road on Thursday night.

“We gave a lot of guys a hard time, and with how hot it is, we're taking a lot out of the guys today,” said Shanahan, whose team will play twice in five days. “We probably would have done it anyway, but with another game (so soon) it definitely made that decision easier.”

Defensive player Nick Bosa sees the NFC West games as a vital stage and is looking forward to some break day after the sport against Seattle.

“Every game is big, division opponents count double and we have a mini-bye after the game on Thursday,” said Bosa. “Getting two wins here, obviously starting with Arizona, would be huge.”

MUSTAPHAS LAUNCH DEBUT

Rookie safety Malik Mustapha thought he had a “solid” debut when he played all 64 defensive snaps rather than Hufanga at safety, however the fourth-round pick from Wake Forest had essentially the most fun blocking for Warner on his touchdown acted.

After Warner made the diving catch, Mustapha sprinted to the center of the sector and eliminated an unsuspecting would-be tackler.

“It felt like playground football, just making sure my guy was trying to score on defense,” Mustapha said. “I saw who was in front of me and just shot.”

The only glaring mistake, other than a broken interception when the sport was already decided, was when Mustapha allowed Rhamondre Stevenson to get past him on a third-and-6 play and a 7-yard pass from Jacoby Brissett converted a primary down.

The mistake wasn't being overly excited, but relatively being slightly too conservative.

“I stopped my feet and that’s why he was able to go outside,” Mustapha said. “It's my fault that I didn't play the style of football I'm used to. After that, I was able to trust my instincts and play as quickly as possible.”

STRENGTHEN DEFENSE DEPTH

The 49ers made two moves to compensate for injuries: They signed linebacker Jalen Graham from the Washington Commanders' practice squad and added defensive tackle Kalia Davis, who had minor knee surgery late within the preseason.

Graham, a seventh-round draft pick a 12 months ago, knows the system and may pick up where he left off and find yourself on the sector against Arizona depending on the health of Warner, Winters and Flannigan-Fowles. Another linebacker, Curtis Robinson, is out for a 12 months with a torn ACL.

“With his athleticism, his intelligence and his feel for the game, I think he can help us in a lot of ways,” Warner said.

Graham played in 4 games for the 49ers as a rookie seventh-round draft select of Purdue, exclusively on special teams.

“Monday was the first time I spoke to them,” Graham said. “They just let me know they wanted me to come back to 53-man and it went from there. I’m happy they brought me back and I’m ready to work.”

Washington's general manager is Adam Peters, who was assistant GM to John Lynch when the 49ers drafted Graham.

“Jalen was a guy we didn’t want to lose,” Shanahan said. “It was hard to let him go. We were really hoping to keep him on the practice squad, but AP stole him, so we had to get him back.”

As for Davis, the 49ers have 21 days to position him on either the 53-man roster or injured reserve. Shanahan doesn't expect to make use of the complete 21 days.

“Hopefully this week,” Shanahan said. “We’ll watch him this week and see how he does. But we would like to raise him.”

QUICK CONCLUSIONS

— The 49ers are usually not yet ready to begin the 21-day round against rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall Jr., who suffered a gunshot wound to the chest during an Aug. 31 robbery in San Francisco.

“We just don’t feel like he’s ready this week,” Shanahan said.

Shanahan also said the shoulder subluxation that plagued Pearsall during training camp isn’t any longer a difficulty.

– Will Kyle Juszczyk proceed to play the role of the NFL's only fullback who also returns punts? If Cowing can't play, that's a possibility.

“He’ll start doing it the rest of the year,” Shanahan said.

Shanahan was probably joking, but Juszczyk, subbing in for Cowing against New England, returned an eight-yard punt when asked to easily make a good catch. Cowing averaged 5.3 yards and nine yards on six returns.

“I think Kyle is one of the more confident people I've ever been around,” Shanahan said. “Ask anyone. I don’t care how good your hands are, but just being thrown into an NFL game and catching a punt isn’t very easy.”

— Christian McCaffrey was in the ability but not on the sector. Shanahan had no details about whether the Achilles tendonitis in either leg was resolving. Although highly unlikely, McCaffery might be eligible to return off injured reserve after the Arizona game.

“I don’t get an update on Christian every day because when the guys are on IR, I’m more focused on what we’re doing that week and day,” Shanahan said. “I know he’s rehabilitating himself.”

– Wide receiver Terique Owens, son of former 49er Terrell Owens, was added to the practice squad, as was defensive lineman Jonathan Garvin. Terique Owens was with the 49ers during training camp. Defensive player Shakel Brown was released from the practice squad.

Originally published: October 2, 2024 at 3:26 p.m