Early Sunday afternoon, October 23rd, the Curry County Sheriff’s 911/Dispatch Center received a 911 call from a witness who was watching a boat trying to cross the Rogue River Bar outbound at about 2:00pm. The caller stated he was looking through binoculars and that the boat was hit by large waves which disabled the boat and the boat with one person on it was drifting south in heavy seas.
The United States Coast Guard was contacted and the information was relayed to all available first responders as well as the Search and Rescue coordinator. Two Gold Beach Police Officers responded to the beach area just south of the South Jetty, where they could see the disabled boat about three hundred feet offshore in the breaking surf line, drifting quickly south, with one person on it.
The Aquatic Marine Safety Officer trained, and experienced in water rescue, responded as a Curry County Search and Rescue Member. The Officer first attempted to swim with his rescue board out through the south side of the mouth of the Rogue River but kept getting pushed back in due to the bar breaking all the way across the mouth of the bar.
The Officer then went south of the jetty while Gold Beach Officers and the Search and Rescue coordinator kept eye contact on the boat and passenger to advise and update the Aquatic Marine Safety Officer where the boat was. The Officer then paddled out through the breaking surf towards the boat just prior to the boat operator, 52 year old Michael Malouf of Gold Beach, jumping in the heavy surf from his boat.
As Malouf’s boat was boat was being struck by large waves and taking on water, the Aquatic Marine Safety Office was able to reach Malouf, who was wearing a life preserver during the incident, in the breaking surf, get him on the rescue board and swim him to the beach about a half mile south of the South Jetty near the Fairgrounds Event Center.
Malouf’s boat washed ashore nearby and a couple bystanders who had witnessed the rescue, tied the boat off to a beached log. Members of the Gold Beach Fire Department along with Cal Ore Life Flight Ambulance crew attended to Malouf and he was transported to Curry General Hospital. Prior to the transport, Malouf’s core body temperature was checked by EMS and found to be ninety-three degrees and was suffering from the effects of hypothermia.
Malouf was treated and released from Curry General Hospital a little while later.
At the time of this press release, Malouf’s boat was still on the beach and Ev’s High Tech Towing is working on getting the boat recovered.
