New Development: The case of two friends who di3d after being sw3pt from a beach has taken an unexpected turn after authorities backed a key family claim
THE tragic college students who drowned at a notoriously dangerous California beach were likely not asleep when disaster struck, according to a veteran rescuer familiar with the case.
Harshita Nair, 21, and Mahial Sran, 20, were caught by a sudden surge of water at Panther Beach on June 10.
Mahial Sran was set to earn her degree in public health at San José State University in 2027.Credit: Instagram
Harshita Nair’s grieving father questioned initial reports about the pair sleeping on the beach and being dragged to their deathsCredit: hayward.chapelofthechimes
Nair died after being pulled from the water, while Sran was taken to hospital but medics were unable to save her.
Eyewitnesses in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy claimed to have seen the pair sleeping on the beach as the waves engulfed the area.
Those claims sparked anger from the families involved, with Nair’s father rubbishing them to the California Post.
The U.S. Sun spoke to local business owner Susan Gonzales-Centoni who knew Mahial and stressed the idea the friends were sleeping in the sand was “mind boggling.”
Investigators said the pair had passed through a narrow opening in the rocks to reach a secluded stretch of beach popular with visitors seeking privacy.
Both Nair’s dad and Gonzales-Centoni pointed to the fact that the women’s belongings remained dry and undisturbed on the beach
And in an exclusive interview with The U.S. Sun, Michael Horn, spokesperson for state emergency response agency Cal Fire, said the girls’ deaths appeared to be the tragic result of misadventure and the powerful sneaker waves that are known to haunt that stretch of California coastline.
“In the early stages of any incident, we’re working with limited information,” Horn explained.
“One eyewitness initially said the girls were sleeping on the beach. But if you’ve ever been to a beach, you’ve seen people lying on towels sunbathing or relaxing. From a distance, that can easily be mistaken for sleeping.”
Horn said the women may have been relaxing near the surf line, where changing ocean conditions can quickly become dangerous.
“The ocean can go from relatively calm to very dangerous in a matter of minutes,” he added. “Even experienced people can get caught off guard.”
The veteran rescuer knows the area and its pitfalls.
He said when a “sneaker wave” starts to form, the situation can become treacherous “in just a few seconds.”
Horn also stressed that the available evidence suggested the women may have been near the water’s edge when a powerful wave caught them off guard.
Cal Fire spokesperson Michael Horn explained to The U.S. Sun about the dangers of the remote Panther BeachCredit: Cal Fire
Locals have been told to be careful in the areaCredit: Cal Fire
“It’s not necessarily that they went in too far,” Horn continued, “Sounds like one of the sneaker waves came in.
“I am only speculating but they were at a point where they thought it was far enough, and then a big wave comes in and wiped out their legs and creates a moment of panic.
“It’s really difficult because the beach there is really steep. It pulls you in with the undertow because of the water going back out. You have to be an extremely strong swimmer.
“Now we know the victims’ belongings were likely dry, which suggests the eyewitness may have mistaken them for sleeping when they were simply lying on the beach — a very normal thing to do.”
As conditions worsened, massive swells reportedly rushed through the passageway, cutting off their escape route.
“Generally, these waves don’t appear completely out of nowhere. You can often see a larger set approaching from offshore,” Horn explained.
“If you’re paying attention, you might notice that the first wave is significantly larger than the others and move farther up the beach.
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“But if you’re distracted, playing in the water, or simply enjoying the conditions, a sneaker wave can catch you completely off guard.”
Volunteer fire captain Kyle Breton said officials believed the women were near the rock arch when incoming water flooded the area and swept them away.
The tragedy comes amid growing concerns over dangerous conditions along the coastline.
Since May 1, authorities have received 11 calls for service along the stretch of coast between northern Santa Cruz and the Santa Cruz County line, including five confirmed ocean rescues.
A massive emergency response was launched as multiple rescue agencies rushed to the scene. Several swimmers entered the rough surf in a desperate attempt to reach the two women.
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The devastating loss has rocked the Fremont community, where both young women grew up and graduated from Washington High School in 2023.
Nair was studying legal studies at UC Berkeley and was expected to graduate next year.
Sran was pursuing public health studies at San José State University and was on track to finish her degree in 2027.
In the wake of the tragedy, officials have renewed warnings about the dangers of unpredictable coastal conditions and powerful ocean swells.
Horn said the tragedy resonated personally because his own daughter, who is in her early twenties, has visited Panther Beach.
