CNN’s Breanna Keilar Marvels At 20-Foot ‘Monster Wave’ That Swept Californians Off Their Feet

CNN’s Breanna Keilar marveled at video of a 20-foot “monster wave” sweeping California beach-goers off their feet, as the waves got a bit too close to reporter Lucy Kafanov.

“Take look at this terrifying scene along the California coast,” Keilar said while playing the video.  “This is a rogue wave here. It just burst over a barrier in Ventura, sweeping about 20 people who were there watching the surf — as well as their cars — about 50 yards away, as the water raced down the street. At least eight people here went to the hospital.”

Keilar added, “The National Weather Service has issued coastal flooding and high surf warnings for much of the California coast, with waves up to 40 feet possible for San Francisco.”

Keilar tossed to Kafanov, who had to dodge the waves herself as she reported from L.A.’s Manhattan Beach.

“The waves around here, roughly 12 to 14 feet. Not as bad as other parts of the California coast, but still, just as a precaution, authorities — oh, there we go!” Kafanov exclaimed as a large wave crashed behind her. “It’s actually moving closer to where I’m standing, and I will move a little bit away.”

She added, “Just the unpredictability of just how close it keeps getting to you is part of the concern.” Kafanov continued:

We’ve seen diggers trying to build up the berms to prevent the water from creating more damage. Because it’s not  just yesterday or today — we are expecting high waves throughout the weekend, potentially as high as 30 feet in some parts of California. Parts of Santa Cruz had been evacuated, that evacuation order now lifted. A lot of the residents and construction cleanup crews are forced to deal with the aftermath — the debris, the flooding — as they also prepare for potentially unpredictable weather continuing this weekend.

“Yeah, we see it as it just snuck up on you there, as these waves double up as they’re coming into the shore,” Keilar said before telling Kafanov to stay safe.

“One eye on the camera, one eye on the surf!” Keilar added.

Watch the clip above via CNN.