Pacific City Cave-in Incident: Oregon Coast Rescuers Warn About Digging Deep Sand Holes

Published 09/10/2026 at 8:55 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Pacific City, Oregon) – Summer's high sand levels create a lot of interesting aspects to the coastline. However, there are some hidden dangers still lurking – even when sand levels drop. (Above: McPhillips Beach / Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

One major issue showed itself rather abruptly over the weekend, while another will be in the tideline for awhile.

The aspect of a day the beach many just don't think about happened quite recently, causing the Nestucca Rural Fire Protection District (NRFPD) on the north Oregon coast to post some advice.

Digging deep holes in the sand can be deadly.

NRFPD said just that kind of cave-in happened over Labor Day weekend, as a young male at Pacific City's McPhillips Beach dug himself a six-foot to seven-foot hole in the sand, and of course the soft stuff caved in on him.

“While in the hole, the walls collapsed around them, burring this individual in sand,” the NRFPD said.

Numerous individuals came to his aid, digging him out, and likely saving his life.

“It was at this time that Tillamook Adventist Ambulance and Nestucca Fire arrived on scene,” the department said. “We were able to stabilize the patient enough to cancel the Life Flight Helicopter and transport the patient by ambulance. This individual is lucky to still be alive, that is not always the case for this type of call.”

Luckily, this is rare on the Oregon coast, but on the eastern U.S. it seems to happen every couple of years or so.

That caused the agency leave this advice:

“Never dig deep holes in the sand,” they said. “Sand can collapse suddenly and without warning, trapping a person underneath. A collapsed sand hole can cause serious injury, suffocation, or death.”

They advised to keep these little engineering marvels just a foot or two – or less. Keep them shallow.

Never enter a deep sand hole.

“Supervise children closely,” they said. “Have fun. Stay safe. Respect the sand.”

Sand holes like these in the tideline create other dangers. See story below (Manzanita)

Another kind of sand hole you should look out for are those hidden beneath the tidelines. With all that extra room on beaches right now, it's easy to go out wading. But that extra room often means sudden drop-offs hiding beneath the water. You can suddenly find yourself dropping into water above your waist or higher.

That can be painful to your body to suddenly hit those depths, and in some cases it's even caused death (as in one Cannon Beach incident back in the 2000s).

Summer's Gnarly Danger Along Oregon / Washington Coast They Don't Talk About (Video) - This can create giant holes in the surf you can't see

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