Coast Guard Medevacs Patient from Cruise Ship Off South Oregon Coast

Published 04/23/25 at 6:22 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Coos Bay, Oregon) – For one cruise ship employee, a cruise off the south Oregon coast was no vacation. (All photos are stills from the video / US Coast Guard)

US Coast Guard reports it had to medevac a crewmember from a cruise ship on Easter Sunday, with the vessel about 15 miles off of Coos Bay. Video of the rescue shows a rather unpleasant ride up to the helicopter for the patient.

At 6:38 a.m. on April 20, watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Columbia River (based out of Portland) received a call from the M/V National Geographic Venture that a 30-year-old male was suffering from intense vomiting and shortness of breath.

Coast Guard watchstanders consulted with the base's flight surgeon, who recommended the man be evacuated by helicopter.

“At 8 a.m. Sunday, a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station North Bend rendezvoused with the National Geographic Venture west of Coos Bay, Ore. and successfully hoisted the patient to the helicopter,” the Coast Guard said in a release.

The video shows the helicopter hovering over the ship, and radio chatter regarding the heavy winds and seas at the time as both ship personnel and helicopter crew maneuver to stay in the same spot. The patient is lifted into the rescue basket which then takes a ride upwards into the MH-65 Dolphin.

The Coast Guard said the man was transported to Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay in stable condition.

"Safe and efficient medical evacuations of mariners are only possible through closely coordinated efforts from start to finish" said Lt. Christopher Saylor, Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator, Sector Columbia River. “The expert coordination between the flight crews, vessel master, and watchsanders resulted in a successful outcome for the patient.”

The M/V National Geographic Venture hosts about 100 guests in 50 cabins. Its particular cruise is often along the coast of North America, in trips that extend from Panama up to Alaska.

“The ship is designed to navigate narrow inlets and wildlife-rich passageways inaccessible to larger ships,” according to the National Geographic website.

In April of last year, the USCG also lifted another man out of a cruise vessel, this time some 175 miles off the north Oregon coastline – more in the Tillamook region. That patient was 65 years old and had received an injury a few days before. US Coast Guard's Dramatic Rescue from Cruise Ship Off Oregon Waters, Video -

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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