At 3:00pm Pillar Point Harbor Master Robert Johnson continued to monitor the ebb and flow of the sea relative to a length of caution tape tied around a piling on the docks. “We are still seeing significant fluctuations. Within the last two hours we’ve seen differentials up to 48 inches, sometimes in less than thirty minutes.” Currents were evident around the pier as curiosity seekers and crab buyers heeded advice to remain on solid ground.
While the casual observer may have noticed nothing out of the ordinary, Johnson explained that indeed the area had experienced tidal waves with the docks rising and falling similar to the daily tides but at a highly unusual rate. He also expressed relief that the event had occurred in conjunction with a low tide, avoiding the threat of docks rising abnormally above their pilings with the risk of boats becoming loose in the harbor.
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With the tidal waves arriving at a much slower and more peaceful pace than many may have imagined, local fisherman brought their carts to the entrance of the pier to sell Dungeness crab to the small crowd bunched around the roadblock formed by the Coast Guard Auxiliary. At $4 a pound or roughly three medium crabs for $20, those who may have been disappointed by harbor closures or lack of a disaster video to post on youtube could still leave content with a dinner for their family in-hand.
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