Turn On It, Tune Out, Drop In

SE WIND 15 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 4 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 12 SECONDS.

This steep beach offers up sometimes excellent hollow a-frames that break close to shore...
Also these peaks often explode directly onto the beach itself with immense force...
I've seen more than one unwary or inattentive beachcomber knocked down by the surge...
And small children, or even adults, are often sucked out into water over their heads...
Then repeated bashings by powerful waves has the expected results, drowning...
I have checked this spot in the dead of winter on more than one occassion to find...
Parents seated well up on the sand while their kids frolic perilously close to the waterline...
I usually just leave if it's unsurfable, not wanting to witness a disaster, or assist in a rescue...
Obviously, most people survive their visits since you don't read about daily drownings...
But the death of the 11 year old is tragic and likely preventable...
The death of the 16 year old would be rescuer even sadder on many levels...
I admire his courage, although wish he had never been forced into such action.

I was on the north coast this same day and watched pretty large surf roll in...
Watched inexperienced beginning surfers sucked south and out at high speed in a littoral rip...
Wondering if I would have to call the CG myself as the were sucked into the impact zone...
They were fortunate that the surf was consistent enough to continually drive them back into the shallows, I suppose.

~from KGW news

DEPOE BAY, Ore. – Rescue teams scrambled up and down the Oregon shore Saturday, helping people in trouble.
But at Gleneden beach, an 11-year old drowned, and a teenager who tried to save him is still missing.

Oregon State Police said 11-year-old River Jenison died at Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital. Jenison was from Westfir, just West of Oakridge.
There was still no sign of a 16-year-old boy police and Coast Guard officials said tried to help save the younger boy.
Coast Guard and Depoe Bay Fire Department crews responded to Gleneden Beach about 1:15 p.m. after they received reports of a young swimmer having trouble in the water. Five people went into the water to try and save the boy, but were unsuccessful, said Coast Guard Boatswain’s Mate Chief James Greenlief.
However, a Depoe Bay firefighter spotted the boy, and pulled him out of the water.
One of the people who tried to help was the16-year-old boy. He did not make it back to shore. Search efforts were suspended after several hours, at 4:45 p.m.
Greenlief said the boys did not know each other.
“This was strictly a Good Samaritan-type situation,” he said.
During this rescue, the Coast Guard crews were dispatched to an unrelated call at Otter Rock, about 10 miles south, for a report of a surfer in trouble in the water.
When crews arrived they found the surfer’s cousins had been able to rescue him back to the shore. He was treated for hypothermia but was expected to survive.