Two young college friends from Fremont, California, died after ocean waves swept them off Bonny Doon Beach in Santa Cruz County, according to the New York Post. Harshita Nair, 21, and Mahial Sran, 20, were reportedly sleeping on the beach when the waves pulled them into the water at around 5pm. Both women were rescued and taken to hospital, but neither survived. Harshita was a legal studies major at UC Berkeley, where she was set to graduate in 2027, according to her LinkedIn profile. Mahial was studying public health at San José State University and was also expected to earn her degree in 2027, per her Instagram. The two had reportedly been friends since high school, both graduated from Washington High School in Fremont three years ago. Harshita’s father told the New York Post that the family was blindsided by the news. “I have no idea what happened,” he said. “I am still in shock.” According to Santa Cruz County Volunteer Fire Captain Kyle Breton, the two women were believed to have been sleeping in what is known as a “keyhole,” a narrow tunnel-like opening in coastal rocks, when the waves swept them out, and at least eight volunteer swimmers entered the water to try to rescue them. The two women were reportedly sleeping in a narrow coastal rock tunnel when the tide came in “Both of these patients, we believe, were originally sleeping right at the keyhole, which is an area that we’re finding catches people unaware,” Breton said. “The tides come in and, in this case, they swept out two sleeping patients, but what we’re also seeing is that people go through the keyhole to get to Yellow Bank Beach and then get trapped … because the tides come in,” he explained. One of the women was reportedly airlifted by helicopter to a hospital, while the other was taken by stretcher to an ambulance. Harshita died shortly after being pulled from the water, and Mahial was initially listed in critical condition but passed away on Saturday, per the Post. UC Berkeley student Harshita Nair and San Jose State student Mahial Sran both died after being swept into the ocean in Santa Cruz County last week, according to authorities and family members. The Santa Cruz Fire captain thinks a sneaker wave might have been responsible.Read… pic.twitter.com/fq1BnvmByz— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) June 16, 2026 Bonny Doon Beach is known for its powerful currents and steep, near-vertical waves, according to local authorities. This incident was reportedly the fifth rescue along that same one-mile stretch of Santa Cruz coastline within the past month, suggesting the area has seen an unusually active period of dangerous ocean conditions. California’s coastline has also been facing other serious hazards recently, with authorities monitoring a heating toxic chemical tank threatening an explosive disaster in the state. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office also urged beachgoers following the deaths to stay alert near the water. Officials encouraged people to “be aware” and “understand how to recognize and respond to rip currents,” according to the office’s public statement. The deaths of Harshita and Mahial came shortly after another fatal beach incident in California. A five-year-old girl named Amada Mia Brown, who had just been set to start kindergarten, was reportedly swept into the ocean near Laguna Beach the previous week and drowned after becoming trapped in powerful waves.