Powerful waves take couple's lives
 

This couple both died being too far out on the rocks near Depoe Bay, Oregon. Their 10-year-old daughter survived. So very heartbreaking for the child.

This news story video shows where it occurred.

We have some powerful waves off the West Coast. Please be careful.
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​​​​https://www.kgw.com/mobile/article/news/local/lake-oswego-couple-die-after-wave-sweeps-them-out-to-sea-near-depoe-bay/283-592598918

Seems like it happens every year in Oregon- probably many other places as well. Happens in a blink of an eye. I was swept up out once in Hawaii. Fortunately, wave brought me back and someone grabbed my arm and pulled me out. Very scary stuff.

Feel so sad for their daughter- think there is no family here

I know-- it broke my heart they had to put her in foster care and she speaks very little English.

Every year "sneaker waves" claim several lives in Oregon and Washington. The best rule is to never turn your back on the ocean. The water is not really warm enough for swimming for more than 10 minutes. On January 1 this year I swam very briefly in the Pacific Ocean at Sunset Bay. It was a polar bear swim with about 30 other people participating. I did see 1 woman in a bikini that morning.
In other Oregon news, a woman hiker on the lower slopes of Mt. Hood was killed by a cougar last week. Her car was parked for several days near the Zigzag Ranger station before anyone went looking for her.
Hiking with a group is always safer than hiking solo. The fire season is winding down here in Oregon but still expect to see some lingering smoke and some poor air quality.

This is indeed very sad.

Please Excuse my lack of knowledge here, but can someone please explain me how can waves sweep you out and possibly kill you? i.e. is it not possible to swim back to the rocks after you are swept away ?

Mustatainment

The power of the ocean is no match for a person. There are unseen dangers like strong currents, undertows or rip currents that can swept you out to sea that are no match for even the most experienced of watermen/women.

One should never enter the water without a lifeguard on duty. At the least always swim with a partner or have someone on shore.

This is serious stuff. I was once snorkeling at Black Rock on Maui - loads of people in what seems like a calm "bay". The under-water current was so strong it swept me off my feet (from just standing). Fortunately, there were many people around to help me get back on my feet and back to shore. It's no joke!

I was in knee high water at Waimea Bay in Oahu's North Shore and a rip grabbed me and pulled me out too. It was terrifying. Another wave followed and pushed me back on shore. It happened in the blink of an eye.

Another problem are breaks that have a reef or a lot of rocks if you get caught you can get injured or knocked out.

Such a sad story, but as you mention, it happens too often here.

nanabee-- Lifeguards are not the norm on the beaches in both OR and WA. I have never seen one in WA, and in OR I have only ever seen one in Seaside.

In lieu of non guarded beaches I was just trying to get across that it is critical to either not go in the water (especially if it an unfamiliar beach or location) or make sure there is someone on shore who can call in case of an emergency. Small children should have swim life jackets.

The lifeguard thing is kind of a false sense of security, anyway. I was surprised to find out that Chicago makes it illegal to swim when there is no lifeguard on duty. I was surprised by that—I can see the reasoning, I guess, but even if there is a guard on duty, like at seaside, there’s no way they can cover the whole beach.similarily, life jackets are a good idea, but they aren’t a replacement for swimming skills. Children who can’t swim shouldn’t be in the deep end of a pool much less an ocean, or out on the river, life jacket or no life jacket.

All that aside- I think the majority of deaths I hear about every summer aren’t due to something like swimming alone. Sometimes booze is involved, and often, it’s just people being where they’re not supposed to. Theres nothing about that spot that looks safe. Kids jump off the pier here, and that’s not safe. There’s a guy who slacklines over the piers shallows—saw him earlier this summer— and he’s got to know that’s idiotic. There are/were signs up near the falls to NOT jump off them, because teens have fallen and hit their heads and died— and yeah, the city probably needs the signs for liability purposes, but even as a kid, I would’ve known not to jump off those falls. You’ve just got to look at them and you can tell the water isn’t deep enough, and the rocks look slippery. I think saying it’s unsafe to swim or hike alone kind of obscures the reason a lot of these people die or get hurt. It’s not that they were alone—it’s that they were doing something dangerous, and maybe they were even ignoring explicit warnings to that effect.

If course people wade in the water and are popr swimmers, have been drinking, are irresponsible or not prepared to get out of a dangerous situation. And these people go into the water...and that is precisely why I say people should not swim unless there us a lifeguard on duty.

Even the best, sober, experienced swimmers know not to swim in unknown areas, or swim alone, or swim at unguarded beaches.

Far fewer people actually "swim" in the ocean than wade and play. The trouble with waves is that they can knock you off your feet and pull you out to deep water. You have to be aware all the time. Obviously, small children should never be in the water without an adult. At this time of year in San Diego, the weather is still hot and the ocean water is warm (for here - 71F!) so lots of people are still going to the beach and playing in the water. Many beaches don't have lifeguards now as it's after Labor Day and those that do have fewer.

This is so sad. As I've gotten older, I for the most part stay away from the ocean and heed any signs posted. I'm not as fearless as I used to be and if it looks rough with waves crashing, I don't go close. Often times there are signs and I was just in Iceland and each beach we went to, my tour guide said to be aware of sneaker waves. It can happen anywhere the sea or ocean is.