A driverless Waymo stopped on a flooded street in San Diego, leaving its passenger with an unusual problem. The car would not continue through the water, and there was no driver behind the wheel to make another choice.
The trouble unfolded during a week of unusually high tides in late October 2026. Water had covered parts of the city’s waterfront roads, but other vehicles were still making their way through.
From a nearby hotel, guests watched as the Waymo tried to deal with the flooded street. The scene soon became entertainment for people gathered at the windows, with one woman watching the car’s struggle in disbelief.
Eventually, a police officer arrived to help. Instead of waiting for the Waymo to figure out what to do next, the officer climbed into the vehicle and took over the driving.
Going Nowhere
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Hotel guest Megan Schmidt recorded the video and Storyful distributed it on October 29. It shows several Waymo vehicles having trouble with the water.
At least one had a passenger inside. The self-driving cars stopped, backed up, and stopped again as other drivers continued along the street.
“Oh my gosh. Oh my god, this poor woman,” someone watching from the hotel could be heard saying.
The passenger had little control over what happened next. Waymo vehicles drive themselves, leaving riders without the usual ability to take over when a car hesitates.
With the vehicle refusing to move forward, police were called to help clear the situation.
Human Intervention
A police officer eventually entered the Waymo with its passenger and drove through the flooded section of road.
For hotel guests watching from above, the unusual rescue ended the car’s struggle.
ABC7 aired the footage on October 30. During the broadcast, one person questioned whether the Waymo had made the safer choice by refusing to enter standing water.
That was a fair question, given the conditions across San Diego that week.
Water Everywhere
On October 27, the Port of San Diego warned drivers about flooding along the waterfront caused by unusually high tides.
Water had already forced a temporary closure of part of West Harbor Drive. Port officials said the high tides could cover other streets and disrupt traffic.
They also warned drivers never to enter standing water. Even when a flooded street looks shallow, the water can hide hazards that drivers cannot see.
That advice makes the Waymo’s decision more complicated than it first looks. Other drivers managed to cross the flooded section, but that did not prove the water was safe.
The National Weather Service’s coastal flood warning covered October 25 through the following Thursday, with water levels expected to reach as much as 1.7 feet above predicted tides.
For the passenger caught in the middle of the Waymo’s decision, the ride finally continued when a human officer got behind the wheel.