Man Rescued near Grays Harbor, WA

A Coast Guard Station Grays Harbor crew aboard a 29-foot Response Boat-Small II rescued a man who was swept out to sea while wading in the water near the Grays Harbor north jetty at Ocean Shores, Washington, Sunday.

The man, in his early twenties, who drifted approximately 300 yards past the tip of the jetty, was rescued from the water by the small boat crew, treated for hypothermia, and taken back to Station Grays Harbor where he was met by local emergency medical services for further medical care.

Watch standers at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received the call from personnel at Grays Harbor County 911 dispatch about the man in the water without a life jacket, who was reported as being swept away  from the jetty and calling for help. Sector Columbia River directed the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station Astoria MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and the Station Grays Harbor small boat crew.

The small boat was first to arrive on scene and assisted the man in the water.

“This case illustrates the possible dangers beach goers can face along the Oregon and Washington coast where waves, rip currents, and unseen deep holes or drops offs can be an unexpected surprise,” said Mark Dobney, a search and rescue controller at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River. “Thanks to the professional training of all the Coast Guard crew’s involved in this rescue, we were able to get this man out of danger and to the help he needed.”

The man received no other reported injuries during the incident.

Weather on scene at the time of the incident was reported as 12 mph winds and 4-foot seas.