A dramatic rescue off Santa Cruz County showed the dangers of powerful surf when a wave overturned a rescue jet ski while it tried to reach a stranded surfer.

The surfer was one of three people rescued along the county’s coastline, according to officials cited in the supplied report. After his board leash broke, he reached nearby rocks but could not safely return to shore.

An aquatic rescue team member approached on a jet ski, but a large wave capsized the watercraft. The rescuer managed to right it, collect the surfer and take him to a safer location to leave the water, Central Fire Chief Nigel Miller told NBC4.

Miller said the area generally attracts surfers familiar with demanding conditions. However, the combination of good weather and unusually large waves appeared to bring a broader mix of experience levels into the ocean.

Despite the hazardous conditions, Miller reported no major structural losses along the local coastline. Homes and foundations remained intact, as did Santa Cruz’s wharves.

Bluff fracture draws attention in Dana Point.

Farther south, a crack in a coastal bluff raised separate concerns about the safety of a busy beach access route.

The fracture lies below The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel in Dana Point, above the Salt Creek Point trail. Beach visitors and surfers use the route to reach the shoreline, including surf breaks known as the Point, Middles and Gravels.

Videographer Craig Whetter of Breaking Even TV documented the split above Salt Creek Beach and voiced concern about the people passing beneath it.

The supplied report describes worries that rain and heavy surf could worsen the bluff’s condition. Water entering a fracture can increase the soil's weight, while coastal erosion can weaken support near the base.

However, the report provides no confirmed geological assessment establishing the crack’s depth, the likelihood of collapse, or an immediate structural threat to the resort.

Other coastal damage underscores erosion concerns.

The Dana Point fracture follows a separate erosion emergency near El Morro at Crystal Cove State Park. According to the report, a fissure approximately 360 feet long and two feet wide developed beneath Pacific Coast Highway.

The damage prompted southbound lane closures and a $4 million emergency stabilization effort. Crews used large sandbags and protective tarps to help safeguard historic beach cottages below.

The report also describes significant property damage on the Long Beach Peninsula during an earlier period of powerful waves and high surf.

These incidents illustrate different dangers along California’s coast: difficult rescue conditions in the water and erosion threatening roads, trails, and buildings on land. At Dana Point, the severity of the bluff fracture remains unclear based on the available information.