The Coast Guard rescued a man near the surf zone in the vicinity of the Tillamook Bay North Jetty, in Garibaldi, Sunday, after he reportedly got caught in a rip current.
The 29-year-old male was pulled from the water reportedly exhausted and hypothermic by a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew from Station Tillamook Bay located in Garibaldi, and transferred to emergency medical services at the station for further care.
Coast Guard Sector Columbia River watchstanders received a request for assistance from the family of the man at 2:21 p.m., when the family reported he had been sucked out by a rip current. The rescue boatcrew rescued the surfer at about 3 p.m., 50 yards past the surf zone.
“I got a visual on a person in a black tank top and we made a direct pick up," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Amber Archer, the coxswain and recently certified Surfman from Station Tillamook Bay. “We got him out of the water and covered him in blankets. The water was about 58 degrees and he was in it for at least 20 to 30 minutes. My crew did a great job keeping him warm and awake."
A Coast Guard 25-foot Response Boat-Small from Station Tillamook Bay, an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Astoria and Fire Rescue crews from Bay City and Rockaway Beach were also on scene.
