Rogue wave sweeps woman out to sea

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SHELTER COVE, Calif., Jan. 28 (UPI) -- A California woman was swept out to sea by a rogue wave as she walked her dog on a beach, Coast Guard officials said.

The woman was walking her dog with her boyfriend in the northern California town of Shelter Cove when the wave struck. The boyfriend survived by climbing up on a rock but the woman was taken out to sea. A Coast Guard search turned up her body about 45 minutes later, the Eureka Times- Standard said.

Shelter Cove Volunteer Duty Officer Cheryl Antony said seas were particularly high Sunday, complicating the rescue effort.

"The ocean today was extremely hazardous," she said. "The waves were about 10 to 15 feet. It was very, very hazardous for [the Coast Guard] to be out there. There are a lot of rocks on the shore and they had to be careful they didn't get swept into those rocks."