People dying on the west coast of the U.S. from California to Alaska is not unusual from large storms and waves on the ocean

 But, usually they are people from inland places like Calgary in this situation or midwesterners who have no experience whatsoever with Oceans and what oceans can do during storms.

It's logical that people who have only experienced Lakes and what they do might react in this way.

Also, the ocean with big waves crashing is very exciting to watch too.

However, if you don't fully understand what you are looking at and are on rocks for example where you cannot run away from Sneaker Waves during a storm you likely could easily be pulled out to sea and die from exposure and hypothermia within about 15 minutes time this time of year anywhere on the west coast.

The problem is the Pacific ocean is about 6000 miles across or more so storms can build the waves very high during storms to where waves of 20 to 40 feet high can come in unexpectedly.

I have been walking my dogs on the beach (and.I have mostly lived near the Pacific ocean since 1952. And I still have almost been pulled out to sea in storms in moments when I didn't see a sneaker wave form fast enough.

When you are on a beach or rocks during storms it is very dangerous always because of sneaker waves.

A sneaker wave can be very large (up to 40 feet tall) and it can come without warning of any kind unless you are looking directly at it as it forms.

And if you haven't had the experience like I have had all my life being a body surfer, board surfer, boogie boarder, snorkeler, and scuba diver like I have you might not survive your experience on those beaches or especially rocks where there is no place to run to and you are just dead.

So, if you live somewhere where you haven't studied waves and storms and beaches and what happens during a storm stay back as far as a paved road or something so you live through the winter storms when visiting the west coast.

Unless you really know what you are doing often you can die within minutes. It's unfortunate but true.

Several people die almost every year within a few miles of where I live who have no idea what they are in for because they have no experience living near an ocean like the Pacific Ocean which is the biggest ocean on earth and more dangerous during storms than most other oceans.