The water at Elephant Butte lake reaches the docking area calmly on Sunday. But just 12 hours ago it was a different story.

"It was a beautiful day. A typical June day, a little breezy, not too bad. It was a pretty day," said Charlotte Gipson from Roswell.

Gipson and her husband watched as crews pulled out their house boat onto the dock. On Saturday evening, they stationed it on the main marina at Elephant Butte, Marina Del Sur. They noticed clouds in the distance, but they didn't know they had 30 minutes to leave the marina when the winds started.

"Our house boat is tall so it took the brunt of all the winds. It was just rocking and rolling," said Gipson.

"It was a pretty good rodeo," said Colt Gipson, her husband.

Colt Gipson tried to secure the boats as the waves crashed into the marina. But it became a task he quickly abandoned.

"The boat was jumping up above the docks and coming down and slamming down on the docks," said Colt Gipson.

Officials say winds of up to 50 mph created 4-to-5-foot waves on the lake.

"The waves were so big here that they had funnels underneath them. That's they first time I've ever seen them out here," said Dwight Webb from Elephant Butte.

Webb said people had to be evacuated from the water. He said he saw a park ranger save some people who were trying to save their boat.

"He had to go out and physically make those people get off. Then about five minutes after he made them leave, when the tires came in the boat sank," said Webb.

The 6-foot tires Webb mentions make up a barricade that protects the marina. The tires along with the marina are anchored by dozens of pieces of concrete to the lake's bottom. With the tires loose and the marina moving, it was difficult to get out of danger.

"It was scary. You take the marina for granted thinking you're on land. But then when it starts buckling, the roof starts popping and things start breaking, then you realize you're not on land, you're in a very vulnerable position," said Gipson.

Officials said all four marinas at Elephant Butte Lake experienced problems. Officials don't know when the marina will open again.