Deadly secrets of gorgeous California enclave where college girls were killed by a 'sneaker'... now experts say they could have been SAVED

The stunning California beach where two college students were recently swept to their deaths hides an alarming secret.

While the area is described in reviews as a 'favorite among locals for sunbathing, picnicking and enjoying breathtaking ocean views,' there are no regularly stationed lifeguards on duty.

Harshita Nair, 21, and Mahial Sran, 20, both from Fremont, died on June 10 after being caught in a 'rogue wave' on the beach close to Bonny Doon in Santa Cruz.

CalFire responders said the students had been relaxing on Yellow Bank Beach, a 100yd stretch of sand located close to the larger Panther and Bonny Doon beaches. 

The region is known for being prone to strong currents and rough waves. CalFire said the recent tragedy marked the fifth water rescue emergency they had responded to along the one-mile stretch of coastline in the past month alone. 

American Lifeguard Association spokesman Tom Gill said the presence of lifeguards in the area could have saved the lives of Nair and Sran. 

'We calculated there to be a one in 18 million chance of drowning on an actively-guarded beach,' he told the Daily Mail. 

'So yes, I do believe life guards could have made the difference there. [The students] likely wouldn't have been in a place where they were in danger.

'It seemed like a rogue wave came in, but any lifeguard that would have seen that would have responded and given them the best possible chance of being rescued immediately, preventing further tragedy.' 

California State Parks agency – under the remit of state Governor Gavin Newsom – is responsible for deciding where lifeguards are deployed. 

Newsom's office referred the Daily Mail to the agency, which said Panther Beach is not guarded due to the terrain, but 'there is a continued regular mobile presence of lifeguards on this stretch of coastline.'

However, CalFire spokesman Michael Horn said Yellow Bank Beach is not visible from the route taken by those lifeguards who cruise the coastal highway. 

He told the Daily Mail it would have taken firefighters a minimum of ten minutes to reach the students after the first emergency call was made. 

'911 was called [at 5pm] because somebody witnessed these young ladies getting hit by the waves and getting drawn into the ocean,' Horn said. 

'That person called 911 very quickly.

'From the time that they called 911 to when the responders got there – it can be anywhere between a ten to 15 minutes response time because of how remote the area is.' 

He said if lifeguards had been present on the beach, they would have told the girls 'this is a bad place for your to be, completely get out of here.' 

Horn added that the Santa Cruz coastline as a whole is 'very rural and remote,' peppered with 'lots of little coves and small beaches' which are only accessible by taking a short walk from the main beaches.  

'These are not sanctioned beaches. But in California we do have a law that everybody has access to the beach, if you can get there,' he explained. 

'So basically this is not a beach that would normally be guarded by a lifeguard in a tower.

'California State Park does have lifeguards that drive up and down the coast, and they're responsible for controlling every little nook and cranny, and it's just a labor issue where they can't have 700 lifeguards patrol a small area.

'Even if a lifeguard were to have driven past, they would have gone unnoticed, since there's no tower on the beach, and it's slender bit of beach.' 

Yellow Bank Beach is 'a very long open stretch of sand' which is accessible via a naturally-formed arch, which creates a beautiful slice of scenery, Horn said. 

He added that Sran and Nair's escape route from the shore was suddenly sealed off by a 'sneaker wave' just before sunset. 

A 'sneaker wave' is a disproportionately large, unexpected coastal wave that suddenly surges much further up the beach than those preceding it.

Horn said the women must have been in the water or close to it at the time they were swept away because their phones, backpacks and towels were 'relatively dry.' 

By the time first responders arrived, he continued, the women were alive – but either unconscious or only partly-conscious. 'One was face-down in the water,' he said. 

'Resuscitation was immediately started on both patients.'

Horn said about eight rescuers swam into the dangerous waters in an attempt to save the victims. 

One of the rescuers, who did not want to be named, told the California Post he brought Sran ashore after diving into a 6ft break along with another responder. 

At that point, Nair had already been pulled from the ocean close to Yellow Bank Beach. 

Nair died soon after she was recovered, while Sran was rushed to the hospital where she received emergency treatment until Saturday. 

The two women graduated together from Washington High School in 2023. 

They were due to graduate college in 2027 – Nair in legal studies at UC Berkeley and Sran in public health and psychology at San José State University.

Nair hoped to work in law and public service to directly help communities and expand their access to opportunity. 

At school, Sran was a member of the Public Health Peer Ambassadors club, which hosts productivity workshops and social events to help students studying the subject.  

County Volunteer Fire Captain Kyle Breton explained in a statement that the keyhole area the girls used to enter the bay often 'catches people unaware.' 

The term 'keyhole' refers to a section of shoreline that allows access to a smaller stretch of sand, but only when the tide is out or waves are not crashing through it. 

'What we're also seeing is people go through the keyhole to get to Yellow Bank Beach and then they get trapped on Yellow Bank Beach because the tides come in,' Breton said. 

The beach is known for having a steep surf line and strong currents that combine to create dangerous conditions.

According to the National Weather Service, those unsafe conditions were generated by a long period swell, which can prompt strong rip currents. 

Local authorities have shared multiple warning statements about avoiding these hazards, such as staying off waterside infrastructure and never turning your back on the ocean.

'California State Parks' Santa Cruz District has a robust lifeguard program covering a wide range of state beaches across Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties,' the state's Parks agency told the Daily Mail in a statement.

'Serving millions of visitors annually, the district employs more than 80 lifeguards to help safeguard state beaches in both urban and remote areas.'

The agency said members of its public safety staff 'conduct preventive and educational ocean safety contacts' in addition to enacting ocean rescues and responding to emergencies.