Surfer Stranded on Rock Face Rescued by Nestucca, OR, Firefighters
oregonlive.com
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Two surfers were caught in a rip current off Oregon’s Cape Kiwanda beach Saturday afternoon, spurring a rescue effort by the Nestucca Rural Fire Protection District and other government agencies.
One surfer managed to get back to shore with the help from other nearby surfers, Nestucca fire said on Facebook. But the second surfer was pushed toward a cliff and stranded on the rock face when he couldn’t climb all the way up.
A Nestucca fire rescue crew rappelled down the cliff to collect the surfer and escort him back to the parking lot, the agency said.
Neither surfer asked for medical care.
Rip currents, powerful channels of water that pull people into the ocean, “are often stronger than they appear,” the fire district wrote on Facebook. It reminded people stuck in a current not to panic, and to swim parallel to the shore until the current ends.
Firefighters also reminded surfers to check conditions before they head out and to never surf alone.
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