A retired Santa Cruz Wharf supervisor said old steel fasteners had been loosening and the structure had been slowly breaking apart for years.

Santa Cruz and state officials are still surveying the damage and clearing debris from along the coast after heavy surf brought down part of the pier, whose long-term fate is also unclear.

After part of the iconic Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed into the ocean amid powerful waves on Monday, feathered culprits have been found to factor into the pier’s damage: seagulls.

Officials in Santa Cruz County have activated a disaster fund to help area nonprofit organizations that are assisting those impacted by the closure of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf after a portion of the wharf collapsed last week.

Santa Cruz officials on Friday said they're working with engineers to study the collapsed wharf to make sure it's strong and stable before they open it to the public.

While already on alert because of the high surf that hit the Monterey Bay coast Monday, Santa Cruz Lifeguards Lt. Isiah Mullen and Lt. Sam Hofmann, stationed on a Jet Ski in the water near Cowell

A part of the Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed Monday afternoon during a high-surf warning, with authorities confirming two people had to be pulled from the water.

City officials in Santa Cruz say swindlers claiming to represent businesses on the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf are soliciting donations following the structure's partial collapse.