Two Videos Show Different Angles on Near-Deadly Oregon Coast Wave

Published 01/05/26 at 7:45 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Pacific City, Oregon) – Talk about a close call. Two viral videos this week of the same incident are showing two perspectives on a nearly-deadly run-in that is leaving people agog.

One video shows a trio on top of Cape Kiwanda getting knocked over by a massive wave that towers about 100 feet above the ocean, and one nearly gets tossed into surf. Yet another video emerges shortly after, taken by the person that got hit with the wave, showing him getting enveloped by it and smacked hard.

It's got all the vibes of a Final Destination movie and then all the bumpy chaos of the Blair Witch Project.

It turns out, the incident isn't recent: it happened way back in 2021. It's just now making it out into the public. Still, it's a bunch of lessons learned all in 30 seconds.

The first footage was taken by Oregon resident Josie Trista Norwood, and the first-person terror vid was filmed by Logan Chapo, a Corvallis-area musician.

Norwood said she was out on Cape Kiwanda with some family and friends back in 2021, and at the time they hadn't seen any large waves come over the sides. They had gone out to that point but were beginning to notice smaller waves reaching there.

Video courtesy Josie Trista Norwood and Logan Chapo. There's a slow motion rendition at the end so you can see the melee.

“ I'm not trying to get wet so we walked back to the spot where I was videoing,” Norwood told Oregon Coast Beach Connection. “And then as we were walking back, Logan and his group were walking out there. So we were just watching and noticing like none of the waves were nearly that big. But I was like, something's gonna come over and it's gonna go a little bit over their head and drench them.”

Bigger waves were starting to come every couple of minutes, she said. She started thinking she was going to get video of this, but didn't imagine it was going to be that enormous.

Her part speaks for itself.

Norwood and her group made it back that way and met Logan and his friends – drenched and shaken - and eventually shared videos with each other. That was four years ago and no one posted any of it until she did this week – and it went crazy viral.

Chapo has lived in the state for awhile and definitely has experience with the Oregon coast. He admitted to Oregon Coast Explored he messed up.

“We were actually planning to leave that ledge right before that wave hit, but one of us wanted to see 'one more big one,' and it ended up being especially big,” Chapo told Oregon Coast Beach Connection. “We were all pretty shook up.”

He said his friend Kam saved him by yanking him down to the ground by his jacket, while Chapo grabbed the other friend by the wrist. But the wave hit and he lost contact with both of them, plunging down that slope, lucky that it flattened out and stopped his tumble.

“Yeah, that day we connected with nature in a different way than usual,” he said.

Chapo is alive and well, and in a rather remarkable psychedelic indie band called Glide Divine.

Hotels in Pacific City - Where to eat - Pacific City Maps and Virtual Tours

 

 

Six Historic Inns of the Oregon Coast With a Strong Time Travel Vibe
Serious charm in Astoria, Seaside, Cannon Beach, Oceanside, Lincoln City, Newport. Logding reviews, hotels

Old, Authentic Oregon Coast Motor Lodge Converted Into Colorful Boutique Motel
History and histrionics: one outstanding yet funky little motel on the outer edges. Newport hotel reviews, lodging news, Newport lodging

Manzanita's Ocean Inn Adds More Ways to Preserve, Give Back to Oregon Coast E...
About to become an Ocean Friendly Hotel through Surfrider. Manzanita hotel reviews, Manzanita hotel news

Manzanita Hotel Review: Oregon Coast Inn A New Hotel
Sitting quite a ways off the beaten path that is teensy Mohler and this highway, the Nehalem River Inn has returned. Now, at nearly 100 years old, the inn has gotten a new look and vibe. Nehalem Hotel Review

More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging.....

More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining.....

Washington Coast / Oregon Coast Articles (stories are random: hit reload to see different articles)

A 1940s Motor Lodge on the Oregon Coast With Thoroughly Modern Vibes
Nostalgia of the Oregon coast in the '60s and '70s. Newport hotel reviews. Agate Beach Motel

Aurora Borealis Updates: Oregon, Coast, Washington: Latest on Storm
Space weather, sciences: strongest has passed but still good chances dusk through AM. Astronomy

Driver Arrested on Oregon Coast After Narrowly Missing Construction Crew, Then High-Speed Chase
Driving up to 110 mph on Highway 101, endangering crews before that. Safety

Bandon in 2026: Dates for Circles in the Sand and the S. Oregon Coast's Rugged Tour de Fronds
Circles in the Sand April?August; Tour de Fronds on June 20. Bandon events

Highway 6 to Oregon Coast Declared an Emergency Situation by Washington County
The move will hopefully initiate federal assistance. Traffic. Tillamook, Portland, Hillsboro, Oceanside, Pacific City

S. Oregon Coast Missing Person Update: Coos County Officers at an Impasse in Search
Sheriff's office asking for help in any leads. Coos Bay, North Bend

Police Arrest Man for Breaking Into N. Oregon Coast's Historical Big Red, Using As Home
The building had also been robbed of pipes and copper by other thieves. True Crime, Astoria, Warrenton

Sneaker Wave Alerts From S. Oregon Coast to Central Washington Coast - 16-ft Seas Possible
High tides will worsen it Friday; even higher waves are possible. Weather

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on Oregon Coast Beach Connection
All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright © Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted