A helo crew from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Astoria successfully hoisted two female surfers and the husband of one of them who entered the ocean in an attempt to help on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 20.
According to observers on the beach, a female surfer became caught in a rip tide near the South Jetty. Shortly thereafter, a second female surfer also became caught in the same current.
Both clung to their surfboards as the current carried them south away from the jetty. The husband of one of the women then entered the ocean in an attempt to help, and he also was unable to break free of the rip.
Grays Harbor County Dispatch notified Coast Guard Air Station Astoria in Warrenton, Oregon of the distress call at 2:37 p.m. An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew was dispatched from that station, along with two 47-foot Motor Life Boat crews from Station Grays Harbor.
During the hoist operation, the GH station boat crews remained on scene as backup.
All three, who were wearing wetsuits, were transported to Coast Guard Station Grays Harbor where South Beach EMS personnel checked them out. They were all reportedly in good condition despite spending nearly two hours in distress in the 51-degree water.
“Our crews and local partners did an outstanding job in their combined efforts and effective communication with the response today,” said Mark Dobney, Command duty officer at Sector Columbia River. “Often the key to a positive outcome in a case like this comes down to maintaining visual contact and relaying the position of people in the water.”