Guam rip currents and high surf
Every recorded rip current or surf record since 1996 · 1 county with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 90 rip current and surf records in Guam from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 3.8 a year since 2000. The deadliest was Tropical Storm Tingting (June 29, 2004): 6 deaths across 2 records.
Rip currents and high surf in Guam, 1996 to 2026
Surf records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 901996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 3.8average
- Deaths
- 7273 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $14Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 200111 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are rip current and surf records common in Guam?
Guam averages about 3.8 rip current and surf records a year since 2000. The busiest year on record was 2001 (11).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
When is the surf season in Guam?
Guam's rip current and surf records by month. The busiest month is January (20 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 20 · Feb 13 · Mar 8 · Apr 6 · May 1 · Jun 3 · Jul 3 · Aug 4 · Sep 4 · Oct 8 · Nov 7 · Dec 13 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest rip current and surf records in Guam?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-06-29 | Tropical Storm Tingting · High SurfGuam · forecast zone Guam One named storm filed by several offices: 2 records in 2 episodes; the totals are the storm's. After five men went out into the waters off Piti in three kayaks, heavy surf overturned the kayaks. Two bodies were later recovered, and the other three are presumed drowned. The surf was related to Typhoon Ting-Ting, which had passed through the northern Mariana Islands the previous day, and was at that time about ... | 6 | 0 | – | |
| 2014-01-06 | High SurfGuam · forecast zone Guam On January 6th 2014 The body of 19 year old Petty Officer 3rd Class Rjay Domondon was recovered around 7 am on the 6th. The victim reportedly went spearfishing alone in waters behind the Agat Cemetery. A 911 call was placed at 7:23 pm on Sunday the 5th of January. A search was conducted by Guam Fire Department, U.S. ... | 3 | 1 | – | |
| 2001-01-03 | Rip CurrentRitidian Point, Guam A husband and wife (both 54 years of age) were snorkeling with their three children (a 26 year old female, a 23 year old male and a 20 year old male). Rough waters dragged them over the reef. One of the couple's sons was able to swim to shore and call for help at the nearby U.S Fish and Wildlife office. The officials ... | 2 | 3 | – | |
| 2013-12-25 | High SurfGuam · forecast zone Guam At around 12:00pm, Wednesday, December 25, 2013, Katwin Dois (37) and Edward Sotam (40) arrived at the Jonestown Overlook in Tamuning with two other relatives where they started drinking beer and vodka at the fishing area. Around 3:40 pm, Katwin fell off the right side of the cliff line onto a rock platform, rendering ... | 2 | 2 | – | |
| 2013-12-20 | High SurfGuam · forecast zone Guam One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. Hazardous Surf and Strong Rip Currents Caused a number of deaths across Guam. | 2 | 2 | – | |
| 2015-08-04 | Rip CurrentGuam · forecast zone Guam At 10:12 a.m. on the morning of August the 4th Guam Fire Department responded to a call at Matapang Beach in Tumon Bay. Life guards had pulled a 67 year old man from the water. Fire Department rescuers took the man to the hospital at 10:36 a.m.. Swell from distant Super Typhoon Soudelor was impacting the area. A High ... | 2 | 2 | – | |
| 2011-01-02 | High SurfGuam · forecast zone Guam At about 17:30 GST the evening of January 2nd, a six-person outrigger canoe rowed by a high-school rowing club capsized in rough water and high surf along the reef line of Tumon Bay on the west coast of Guam. A man in a kayak who went out to help was also overturned in the surf. Two of the rowers in the canoe drowned, ... | 2 | 1 | – | |
| 2024-03-17 | Rip CurrentGuam · forecast zone Guam One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. A mix of northerly and easterly swells led to hazardous conditions in the surf zone of Guam. | 2 | 1 | – | |
| 2016-10-20 | Rip CurrentGuam · forecast zone Guam On the morning of the 21st of October around 7:30 a.m. a man in his late 40s was pulled from the water near Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort in Tamuning. After the man was taken from the water CPR was performed on him on route to the hospital. The man survived. On the 22nd of October, two people were found face down by ... | 2 | 1 | – | |
| 2011-01-22 | High SurfGuam · forecast zone Guam Four men were setting nets and fishing off Ipan Beach on the east coast of Guam between 19:00 and 21:00 GST the evening of January 22nd, when a wave washed them off the reef. Strong currents carried three of them into the open ocean while the other was able to swim to shore. A second man made it back to shore about an ... | 2 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest rip current and surf records in Guam
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-10-11 | High SurfGuam · forecast zone Guam | 0 | 0 | $13M | |
| 2023-02-28 | High SurfGuam · forecast zone Guam | 0 | 0 | $969K | |
| 2017-01-17 | High SurfGuam · forecast zone Guam | 0 | 1 | $1K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are rip current and surf records becoming more frequent in Guam?
Guam's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Guam | United States | Guam's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 11 | 1,021 | 1.1% |
| 2000s | 44 | 4,386 | 1.0% |
| 2010s | 20 | 5,810 | 0.3% |
| 2020-26 | 15 | 2,346 | 0.6% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent rip current and surf records in Guam
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-22 | Rip CurrentGuam · forecast zone Guam | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2025-01-04 | Rip CurrentGuam · forecast zone Guam | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-12-16 | Rip CurrentGuam · forecast zone Guam | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2024-12-11 | Rip CurrentGuam · forecast zone Guam | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2024-12-07 | Rip CurrentGuam · forecast zone Guam | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2024-11-23 | Rip CurrentGuam · forecast zone Guam | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-09-17 | High SurfGuam · forecast zone Guam | 0 | 3 | – | |
| 2024-03-17 | Rip CurrentGuam · forecast zone Guam | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2024-03-13 | Rip CurrentGuam · forecast zone Guam | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-01-22 | Rip CurrentGuam · forecast zone Guam | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-02-28 | High SurfGuam · forecast zone Guam | 0 | 0 | $969K | |
| 2022-12-25 | High SurfGuam · forecast zone Guam | 1 | 1 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.