The two college students who were killed after taking a nap by the ocean were trapped by a freak wave which dragged them underwater, according to a rescuer. 

Harshita Nair, 21, and Mahial Sran, 20, both from Fremont, California, died close to Panther Beach in Bonny Doon, Santa Cruz on Wednesday.

Cal Fire spokesman Michael Horn later revealed that the pair's escape route through the rocks was sealed off by a 'sneaker wave' just before sunset. 

A 'sneaker wave' is a disproportionately large, unexpected coastal wave that suddenly surges much further up the beach than preceding waves. 

'Their access back down the beach had been completely cut off by water and large surf,' Horn told the California Post. 

Horn said about eight rescuers swam into the dangerous waters in an attempt to save the victims after a 911 call alerted them at 5pm. 

One of the rescuers, who did not want to be named, said he brought Sran ashore after diving into a six-foot break along with another responder. 

At this point, Nair had already been pulled from the ocean close to Yellow Bluff Beach. The pair had entered the shoreline via a keyhole in the rocks. 

'We go through that keyhole, and there's waves crashing through it,' the swimmer told the Post. 'And then me and my partner, we start searching for the second victim.'

The rescuer said he saw the young woman floating face down, about 20 yards from the shore.  

'I'm able to get her up on my chest and keep her airway out of the water, and my partner is able to swim over and clip in with me, and we just swim her in together,' he said.

Both women were alive when they were pulled from the water. 

Nair died soon after she was recovered, while Sran was rushed to the hospital where she received emergency treatment until Saturday. 

The two women graduated together from Washington High School in 2023. 

They were due to graduate college in 2027, Nair in legal studies at UC Berkeley and Sran in public health and psychology at San José State University.

Nair hoped to work in law and public service to directly help communities and expand their access to opportunity. 

At school, Sran was a member of the Public Health Peer Ambassadors club which hosts productivity workshops and social events to help public health students.  

County Volunteer Fire Captain Kyle Breton explained in a statement that the keyhole area the girls used to enter the bay often 'catches people unaware.' 

The term 'keyhole' refers to a section of shoreline that allows access to a smaller stretch of sand, but only when the tide is out or waves are not crashing through it. 

'What we're also seeing is people go through the keyhole to get to Yellow Bank Beach and then they get trapped on Yellow Bank Beach because the tides come in,' Breton said. 

The beach is known for having a steep surf line and strong currents that combine to create dangerous conditions.

Local ocean rescue said this was the fifth rescue performed in a month along a one-mile stretch of coastline, from Yellow Bank to Bonny Doon. 

According to the National Weather Service, dangerous conditions were generated by a long period swell which can prompt strong rip currents. 

Local authorities have shared multiple warning statements about avoiding these hazards, such as staying off waterside infrastructure and never turning your back on the ocean.