Marine police in California were in for the ride of their lives on rough seas yesterday.
A choppy video of their journey taken in Lake Tahoe, California, laid bare the ups and downs of the trip.
It was posted on the Placer County Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page yesterday with the caption: ‘There’s definitely no calm before this incoming storm! PCSO’s Marine 6 crew is on Lake Tahoe today, and they are experiencing sustained 40-knot winds and 5- to 6- foot swells.
‘One gust was just clocked at 75 knots! But the crew said that Marine 6 is well within its capabilities under these stormy conditions.’
The Sheriff’s Office encouraged everyone to be cautious, saying: ‘Anyone heading to the Lake Tahoe area should be prepared for the storm and carry tire chains, food, and water. Be safe!’
A passenger on the boat can be heard in the video explaining that the ride is part of ‘rough weather training’.
The footage shows water accumulating in the boat as it crashes into tall waves.
A winter storm is supposed to bring snow to the Lake Tahoe area today, with expected wind speeds of 10 to 15 miles an hour, a 60 per cent chance of snowfall and one to three inches of snow.
Grab the sick bag: Users reacted to the video posted on Placer County Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page saying it made them sick
The Lake Tahoe, California, area is supposed to be hit by a winter storm today. The Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook: ‘Anyone heading to the Lake Tahoe area should be prepared for the storm and carry tire chains, food, and water’
The video was posted on Facebook yesterday morning and has already been viewed 33,000 times and shared more than 500 times.
The post quickly stirred up a reaction online. One user commented: ‘That makes me sick just looking at the rough water.’
Another said: ‘I have motion sickness just watching the video. I hope everyone just stays on land today.’
One person wrote about the steadiness of the cup of coffee that stayed still during the ride, writing: ‘I’m impressed with the cup holder. That Starbucks cup never twitched! Twice I thought, “Someone’s going to have some cleanup to do”.’
After one person reacted to the video saying they were nostalgic for their days in the Coast Guard, the Sheriff’s Office replied, saying: ‘The sea always calls us back.’
The Office also explained the importance of training while the water is choppy. It wrote: ‘Storms roll onto Lake Tahoe with exceptional speed.
Most of our rescues are not a result of people intentionally going out in bad weather, but are of people with inadequate vessels and experience getting caught on the lake by a fast moving storm.
We train on days like today to be ready for those who need us tomorrow.’