The two friends killed after being swept into the ocean in Santa Cruz County became trapped by a freak wave and pulled underwater by the punishing tide, authorities revealed — as a rescuer detailed the treacherous conditions that claimed their lives.

Harshita Nair, 21, and Mahial Sran, 20, both of Fremont, had made their way through a keyhole at Panther Beach in Bonny Doon to sunbathe last Wednesday when they were sealed off from escape by “sneaker wave” just before sunset, Cal Fire spokesman Michael Horn told The California Post.

A keyhole arch at Yellow Bluff beach, Santa Cruz.
The keyhole at Panther Beach where the two young women became trapped.CAL Fire
Authorities have warned beachgoers about the dangers present to swimmers this summer in areas where they are not familiar, urging them to pay attention to signs warning about sneaker waves, powerful surf and rapidly changing tides.

The rising tides and crashing waves trapped the two friends, who at first were believed to be napping on the beach when they were swept away, Horn said.

“Their access back down the beach had been completely cut off by water and large surf,” he said.

Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the beach after a witness called 911 just after 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Horn said about eight rescue swimmers entered the dangerous waters to try to rescue the victims.

Harshita Nair smiling at the camera.
Harshita Nair, 21, was a student at UC Berkeley.Linkedin

Mahial Sran looking at the camera.
Mahial Sran, 20, attended San Jose State University.Instagram/@mahial_22s
The swimmer who brought Sran ashore told the Post that he dove into the freezing, 6-foot shore break along with his partner to reach the young woman. Nair had already been pulled from the waters off Yellow Bluff Beach.

“We go through that keyhole, and there’s waves crashing through it,” explained the swimmer, who asked to remain anonymous. “And then me and my partner, we start searching for the second victim.”

Soon, the swimmer said, he saw Sran floating face down in her bathing suit, about 20 yards offshore.

A person sitting in a cave opening looking out at the ocean waves crashing on a sandy beach.
The two friends became trapped in the keyhole by a freak wave.Instagram/@viajandoporcalifornia1
“I’m able to get her up on my chest and keep her airway out of the water, and my partner is able to swim over and clip in with me, and we just swim her in together,” he said.

Both women were alive when they were pulled from the water, but Nair died soon after she was recovered.

Sran remained at a local hospital in critical condition until Saturday, when she passed away, according to the Santa Cruz Sheriff-Coroner.

CAL FIRE Alma Helitack Copter 614 flying over a sandy beach next to crashing ocean waves.
About eight rescue swimmers entered the dangerous ocean water to try to rescue the victims.Facebook/CALFIRECZUSanMateoSantaCruz
Authorities have yet to officially determine their cause of death.

Nair was a legal studies major at UC Berkely set to graduate in 2027. Sran was set to earn her degree in public health at San José State University in 2027.

Both women graduated in 2023 from Washington High School in Fremont.

Emergency crew running to the rescue.
Eight rescue swimmers braved the swells in a bid to save the drowned friends.Facebook/CALFIRECZUSanMateoSantaCruz
The cove they visited is a popular sunbathing spot that was still being visited by beachgoers on Tuesday, though a warning sign had been installed advising of a “risk of becoming trapped.”

Cal Fire’s Horn described Wednesday’s operation as the fifth water rescue that first responders performed over the past month along short stretch of Santa Cruz County coastline.

The incident came a day after 5-year-old Amada Mia Brown of San Bernardino was swept into the ocean in Laguna Beach.

People on Bonny Doon Beach in Santa Cruz, California, with cliffs and clear ocean water.
Panther Beach and Yellow Bluff Beach are separated by a treacherous keyhole.Instagram/@viajandoporcalifornia1
Little Amada died after being caught in the powerful surf of Treasure Island Beach.

Sran, who worked part-time as a cashier for the Micheal Kors Outlet at Great Mall in Milpitas, was also president of a public health club at her college, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Nair was an intern at the UC Berkeley student union, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Steve Parkinson, a friend and former coworker of Nair, said the Berkeley undergrad was a lover of the outdoors.

“She was just a real smart girl, outgoing girl,” Parkinson said. “Just a real all-around good person.”

Dangerous conditions along the California coast in recent days have driven by powerful southern swells that have slammed Pacific Ocean beaches, according to officials with the National Weather Service.

An orange electronic warning sign on a trailer by a road near a beach reads "BEACH HAZARD BE SAFE."
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office has issued a warning for the area.Facebook/SantaCruzSheriffsOffice
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning for the area after responding to an increased number of water rescues.

“This beach is a really dangerous beach up north, and it has that keyhole spot that creates a really big hazard,” said the rescue swimmer who recovered Sran.

“Look at the tides and look at the swell. If you don’t know any of that stuff well, just stay out of the water.”