California surfers brave death in big waves and social media shows off the madness

David Oliver
Large waves crash ashore at Duncan's Landing north of Bodega Bay, Calif., Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, as a large swell train arrive on the Sonoma Coast.
Large waves crash ashore at Duncan's Landing north of Bodega Bay, Calif., Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, as a large swell train arrive on the Sonoma Coast.

California surfers braved a high surf despite advisories from the National Weather Service.

A high surf advisory is still in effect until 5 p.m. PST Tuesday for San Francisco/Monterey, California, warning of "erratic and unpredictable" large waves that "will be capable of sweeping people into the frigid and turbulent ocean water," according to the National Weather Service. Other advisories remain in effect as well, like in Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo.

A tweet from the San Francisco Bay Area's branch of the National Weather Service on Saturday warned people they would be risking "certain death" if they didn't stay away from the ocean.

Meanwhile, news organizations, bystanders and others have been sharing photos and videos of surfers on social media:

Surfers in Half Moon Bay took advantage of massive waves spurred by a high surf event across the California coast Monday. High surf warnings and watches are scheduled to remain in place across the state into Tuesday, according to @nws. Tap the link in our bio for the latest surf conditions in SoCal 🏄‍♀️ 🏄 📹: KGO via CNN #ktla #highsurf #surfing

A post shared by KTLA 5 News (@ktla5news) on Dec 17, 2018 at 4:13pm PST

Checking out the high surf ... #highsurf #surflife #surfer #sealbeachpier #surfsealbeach #sealbeach

A post shared by Lesley Chappell (@lesley_chappell) on Dec 18, 2018 at 8:56am PST

Surfers loving the bigger than normal waves along the #Rincon in Ventura County. Photo by KEYT photojournalist, Oliver Forster. #venturacounty #surfing #highsurf

A post shared by KEYT-KCOY (@keyt3kcoy12) on Dec 17, 2018 at 3:25pm PST

#highsurf #northbay #pacifica

A post shared by @ jellybabyswho on Dec 17, 2018 at 2:08pm PST

Surfs up! Waves up to 13 feet are possible through Tuesday at San Diego County beaches. The NWS has issued a high surf advisory and warns that inexperienced swimmers and surfers should use caution in the water. #NBC7 #surf #highsurf #waves #SanDiego

A post shared by NBC 7 San Diego (@nbcsandiego) on Dec 17, 2018 at 7:14am PST

Our central coast beaches provide glorious mornings like this. Use caution, especially in the winter, as high surf can be extremely dangerous. Come visit Avila or Cayucos beach. #SLOCountyParks #ThinkOutside #AvilaBeach #CayucosBeach #HighSurf #Winter #Beaches #CentralCoast

A post shared by SLO County Parks & Recreation (@slocountyparks) on Dec 17, 2018 at 9:49am PST

Contributing: Brett Molina

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: California surfers brave death in big waves and social media shows off the madness