Twelve-year-old Arunay Pruthi vanished at Cowell Ranch State Beach in Half Moon Bay, California, on January 18, 2021, when a sudden sneaker wave swept him, his father and his 8-year-old brother into the ocean. The father and younger brother made it back to shore; Arunay was pulled about 100 yards offshore and has not been seen since. The U.S. Coast Guard, local agencies and hundreds of volunteers carried out extensive searches but his body was never recovered.

Arunay’s family and friends continued searching for months, raising funds to hire drones and boats before ending active search operations in March 2021. In the months after the disappearance the family created the Arunay Foundation to promote beach safety, raise awareness about sneaker waves and push for measures to reduce similar tragedies.

If anyone was at Cowell Ranch State Beach that day or has information about conditions offshore that morning, please share what was seen or heard.