Coast Guard rescues two teens
By Chandler Watkins
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DEPOE BAY, Oregon (KPTV) — Two teen siblings are safe and back home following a Coast Guard rescue at Whale Cove in Depoe Bay Saturday.
According to officials, a visitor at the Whale Cove Inn witnessed two teens, one 13-year-old girl and one 15-year-old boy, walking on the beach just north of the hotel before walking along the rocky shore. The visitor noticed the two got stuck as the tide came in and called 911.
The Depoe Bay Fire District was dispatched and got to the hotel and located the two teens in minutes before requested resources from the Coast Guard Station Depoe Bay and a helicopter from the Coast Guard Sector North Bend.
A USCG helicopter responded to the scene from the Newport Airport and was able to get to Whale Cove within 20 minutes. The two siblings were hoisted from the rocky shore and moved to safer ground on the sandy beach where EMTs checked the children. They were determined to be ok and were brought to their parents.
“We basically coordinated a rescue with the Coast Guard and determined the most effective way of getting them off the rocks was to utilize a helicopter,” said Tom Jackson, a Division Chief at Depoe Bay Fire District. “The two juveniles were safely lifted up off the rocks and on to the beach and returned safely to their parents.”
Jackson said it’s key to always pay attention to remain safe along the coast, to not turn your back on the waves, and to plan before you go out.
“When you go to the coast, especially in the inclement weather season, it’s very dangerous and you really have to plan an outing to understand what the weather, what the ocean waters are doing,” said Jackson. “So it’s always good to become familiar with the tides and what time high tide happens to be so you can make an informed decision on your plans and going out and exploring the rocky coast or beaches because sometimes when you don’t plan, they catch you off guard.”
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