Tragedy by the Sea, also known as Cruel Waves, is a photo showing a young couple, John and Lillian McDonald, standing together beside the Pacific Ocean in Hermosa Beach, California, United States. The image was captured in April 1954 by Los Angeles Times photographer John L. Gaunt. A few minutes before the image was taken, the couple's nineteen-month-old son Michael had disappeared. The photo won the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for Photography and an Associated Press Award.