Two Rescues Along Oregon Coast in Two Days Illustrate Need for Caution

Published 04/28/22 at 7:25 PM PST
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Manzanita, Oregon) – Two close calls on the Oregon coast are two too many, but bad decisions caused just that in two different areas this week, causing a pair of U.S. Coast Guard rescues in a little over 48 hours. One took place at Depoe Bay's Whale Cove area on April 23 and the other happened at Manzanita on April 25. (Photo above Cannon Beach Fire District)

The latest was Monday when two hikers had to be rescued from a steep cliff area at Manzanita. They had climbed down to a remote and dangerous section to the bottom of Neahkahnie Mountain, trekking down from a roadside viewpoint higher up the mountain. Coast Guard personnel in Astoria received the call for assistance from Tillamook County dispatch around 7:22 p.m., indicating two hikers had become stranded by rising tides.

After some time spent trying to locate the hikers, the helicopter lowered its rescue equipment and a Coast Guard swimmer helped hoist them into the aircraft, all of which took place by 8:30 p.m.

Photo above Cannon Beach Fire District

A Coast Guard spokesman said the aircrew transported the pair to emergency medical personnel waiting at nearby Neahkahnie Beach.

There is a reason there are not actual walkways down to the beach from this famed north Oregon coast vantage point: the areas below are unacceptable for human visitation.

Over the weekend, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and crews assisted in the rescue of two teens at remote Whale Cove, near Depoe Bay on the central Oregon coast.

A guest staying at the hotel just above the area spotted two teens walking on the short sandy stretch that inhabits only a small portion of Whale Cove, but soon saw them walking along a narrow rocky section extremely close to the tides. There, they were abruptly trapped.

The witness called 911 and quickly the Depoe Bay Fire District (DBFD) arrived on scene, soon requesting assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard station in Newport.

According to the DBFD: “ Firefighters from the Depoe Bay Fire District relocated to an area closer to the victims to communicate with the two, however, access to rescue the juveniles was not an option at that time due to the incoming tides. The siblings were both able to climb high enough away from the water to avoid being swept into the ocean.”

In both instances, these survivors ventured onto places that are beyond barriers, and onto extremely unfriendly terrain that leaves too little to no room between the cliff and the water.

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The kids were walking along remote edges next to the tide at Whale Cove

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