Lincoln County Rope Rescue Team Saves Two Surfers at Otter Rock
Firefighters with the Lincoln County rope rescue team pulled two surfers off the rocks and up a cliff at Otter Rock Saturday. (Photo by Larry Coonrod)By Larry Coonrod
OTTER ROCK—Two surfers found themselves scaling a vertical cliff face Saturday with the help of firefighters after becoming stranded in a cove at Otter Rock.
Emergency responders arriving on scene shortly after noon called in the multi-agency rope rescue team after learning that a U.S. Coast Guard rescue helicopter was a 45-minute flight away in North Bend.
Notorious Riptide
Incident commander Lt. Eric Leonard with the Depoe Bay Fire District said three surfers had become stranded in a cove on the southern edge of Otter Rock, opposite the Devils Punch Bowl. One of the surfers made it back to the beach on his own.
“In this area there is a notorious rip tide that hugs along the side of those rocks,” Leonard said. “It just comes with inexperience and not knowing the area and not being able to read the water and it sucks them right around into the side of those rocks.”
Firefighters Gear Up
Rope rescue team members quickly set their gear up, allowing a firefighter to drop 100 feet down to the rocks below where the two remaining surfers waited. As firefighters raced against the incoming tide, Leonard said the surfers were at risk of drowning or being injured on the rocks.
“And also along with being in cold water on our coast you have hypothermia and other medical injuries that could happen,” he said.
With rope team members on top the cliff dragging the lines through a pulley system, the first surfer — a young girl — was brought safely up the cliff to rejoin her family.
The remaining surfer - an adult male — and the rope rescue team member on the rocks with him came up next, greeted by a cheering crowd that had gathered as the drama unfolded.A Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter arrived just as firefighters helped the man across the fence and onto level ground. Rescuers finished off the day by pulling one surfboard up the cliff face.
Rope Rescue Team
The 18-member Lincoln County rope rescue team is comprised of firefighters from different departments around the county. Beyond standard firefighter training, members undergo advanced rope rescue techniques and train throughout the year.
“We get on average about four to six calls a year,” said Newport Firefighter Andy Parker. “Today we had folks from Yachats, Toledo and Newport Fire.”
Considering the time of day and good weather at Otter Rock, Parker ranked the difficulty of Saturday’s rescue as moderate.
“We had two folks in trouble and we were fighting the tide, but the conditions were in our favor.” he said. "This could easily turned deadly under other circumstances.
Contact Reporter Larry Coonrod by emailing editor@lincolncountydispatch.com
