Horror as two college students napping on idyllic California beach are swept out to sea and drowned by powerful, fast-moving current

Published: 17:45, 16 June 2026 | Updated: 18:00, 16 June 2026 Two college students have been killed after being swept off a Santa Cruz County beach and into the sea by rising tides. The victims were identified by Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office as Harshita Nair, 21, and Mahial Sran, 20, both from Fremont, California.  The two women graduated together from Washington High School in 2023. Both were set to get their college degree 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 public health students.   It is believed that the two were napping near a keyhole when the waves swept them from the coastline of Bonny Doon beach last Wednesday. In a statement by County Volunteer Fire Captain Kyle Breton explained the keyhole is an area that 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. Harshita Nair, 21, a legal studies major at UC Berkeley was reported dead after being swept off a Santa Cruz County beach by rising tides Mahial Sran, 20, a public health B.S. at San José State University was reported dead on Saturday after being in critical condition for multiple days The two friends were believed to be sleeping on a keyhole near the shoreline of Bonny Doon Beach in Santa Cruz, California The beach is known for having a steep surf line and strong currents that combine to create dangerous conditions.  First responders with the Santa Cruz Fire Department and California State Parks responded to the scene and eight rescue swimmers were deployed in search of the two women. According to Breton, one victim was found near Yellow Bank Beach, while the other was near Panther Beach. Donny Boon beach is known for having a steep surf line and strong currents that combine to create dangerous conditions Eight rescue swimmers were deployed to search for the two missing women  They were both found and removed from the water before being transported to nearby local hospitals.  Nair was declared dead soon after the rescue while Sran remained in critical condition until Saturday when she passed away.  Local ocean rescue stated this was the fifth rescue performed in a month along a one-mile stretch of coastline, from Yellow Bank to Bonny Doon.  According to the National Weather Service, these dangerous conditions have been generated by a long period swell that creates increased risk of strong rip currents and sneaker waves. 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. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.