On Friday, February 2nd, 2018, two people perished in the surf while clam digging on ocean beaches in Pacific County. One incident occurred in the north county near Grayland, and the second incident occurred on the Long Beach peninsula.
Even though these incidents are not local to our southern Oregon community, the Wild Coast Compass wishes to publish it because the activity is local. We would like to remind our readers to be aware that the ocean is always dangerous and to never turn their back on the sea.
Both incidents were reported to Pacific County Sheriff’s 911 Communications Center within four minutes of each other. Both victims were female and were accompanied by their spouses.
The first call to 911 came in at 8:57 pm from the Oysterville beach approach north of Ocean Park on the Long Beach Peninsula. A 70-year-old female was lost in the surf while digging clams. Sheriff’s Office personnel along with South Pacific County Technical Rescue (Surf Rescue) responders were immediately dispatched to search the area. Preliminary information is that a responding USCG helicopter was involved in a bird strike and was unable to proceed to the scene. The search was further hampered due to rough surf and inclement weather conditions, however, USCG was later able to dispatch a ground search crew to the area to work with other local responders.
The second call came in at 9:01 pm with a 61-year-old female from Toledo reported missing in the surf near the Warrenton Cannery Road. The victim had also been digging clams with her husband when the two became separated earlier in the evening. Rescue personnel from several agencies were immediately dispatched to the scene and began searching the area.
The body of the missing Ocean Park woman was located at 5 pm today, Saturday, February 3rd near Westport, WA in Grays Harbor County. The body of the missing Toledo woman was located between the Cranberry and Midway beach approaches in Pacific County at approximately 5:38 am.
These incidents serve as a tragic reminder that one must always be vigilant of the powerful surf and waves that are often present on our ocean beaches. Always stay close to other clammers, bring a flashlight or lantern, a waterproof cell phone, and never turn your back on the surf as “sneaker waves” can appear at any time.
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