King Tide Surf Batters Beach Walkover in New Smyrna Beach, Florida

Pounding surf driven by a king tide smashed into rocks and a wooden beach walkover in New Smyrna Beach on Wednesday morning, October 28, ripping out part of its stairs.

X user Bill Gay, a local small business owner, filmed foaming waves washing over the rocks and swirling beneath the walkover’s stairs, with its roofed lookout above, as the high tide pushed water up to the structure. “3 of the 5 bottom steps of the public walkover have blown out. Good chance we lose the whole stairs,” he wrote, adding that surf was running at 8 to 10 feet on the highest tide of the cycle.

King tides and rough seas have been stripping sand from beaches along Volusia County’s coast for days, exposing seawalls and leaving steep drop-offs, while dangerous surf has kept beach driving ramps closed. Some of the eroded beaches had been topped up with around 550,000 cubic yards of sand only five months ago, in a project costing about $25 million.

The National Weather Service extended a coastal flood warning and high surf advisory through early Friday, with breaking waves of 7 to 11 feet possible.