Waves damaged docks, boats in Ventura Keys during storm

Powerful surf whipped up by a storm system Thursday afternoon broke docks and damaged boats and other property in the waterfront Ventura Keys neighborhood, according to Ventura Harbor Patrol officials.

“It was quite an event,” Harbormaster John Higgins said Saturday. “We saw some of the largest surf we’ve seen in 20 years.”

The harbor entrance was unpassable at the event’s peak, Higgins said. Harbor patrol officials coordinated with the U.S. Coast Guard to notify boaters of unsafe conditions. An Island Packers boat was safely escorted back into the harbor.

Dock-front homes in the Ventura Keys community, which connects to the harbor’s north end, are located entirely within the city of Ventura’s waterway, Higgins said.

Three channels lined by homes run through the Keys.

“We responded to all three channels,” he said.

The harbor patrol started getting calls reporting damage around 12:30 p.m., Higgins said, and the first broken dock was reported around 1 p.m. Another followed a short time later.

At around 3 p.m., a rolling wave came through to the easternmost channel along Seaview Avenue, near Harbor Boulevard. The wave, which Higgins described as a “singular event,” was something of an anomaly and caused the most damage.

Some docks broke free with boats still attached. The free-floating docks were then hitting other boats as surges continued.

About eight residences were affected by dock failures, Higgins said.

The harbor patrol, working with TowboatUS Ventura, the Ventura Port District and residents relocated about 10 to 15 boats to safer areas in the harbor and pulled broken docks from the water, Higgins said.

Some storm damage was also reported Thursday at the Peninsula Yacht Marina in Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard, a harbor official said.

In Santa Barbara, the city's harbor and waterfront areas were hit hard by a large swell and high tides overnight Thursday and Friday morning, city officials said. Stearns Wharf was closed to pedestrians and cars. Coastal flooding impacted parking lots and beaches.

While authorities were still assessing damage at the Ventura Keys Saturday, Higgins tallied an early estimate at around $250,000 to replace the docks.

An incoming storm system could potentially create similar conditions Monday and Tuesday, he said.

A high surf advisory issued by the National Weather Service for Ventura County Beaches, which was initially set to expire at 6 p.m. Saturday, was extended until 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Large breaking waves up to 6-9 feet and dangerous rip currents are expected at times, especially on shores that face southwest or west. Swimmers and surfers could get pulled out to sea and rock jetties could be deadly, forecasters said.

A rare, strong west swell had created "abnormally strong and very dangerous" rip currents," the weather agency's advisory said.

This story may be updated.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Waves damage docks, boats in Ventura Keys during Thursday's storm