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Nearby boat capsizes during Coast Guard training in Oregon. See the dramatic rescue

U.S. Coast Guard training crews rescued a nearby boater from nearly 30-foot swells at the mouth of the Columbia River on Feb. 3.
U.S. Coast Guard training crews rescued a nearby boater from nearly 30-foot swells at the mouth of the Columbia River on Feb. 3. U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Northwest

A dramatic scene unfolded at the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon as nearly 30-foot swells capsized a boat right near where Coast Guard crews were training.

Two of the schools training nearby at about 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 3 responded to the boat’s mayday signal, and one of the rescue swimmers made his first-ever rescue and went on to graduate only hours later, Petty Officer Michael Clark told McClatchy News. Clark is the Coast Guard spokesperson based in Seattle.

Dramatic video shows the boat “floundering” in the surf and eventually capsizing as the rescue swimmer tried to rescue the boater.

The boater was tossed into the water as the boat rolled over in the waves, Clark said.

The rescue swimmer was able to retrieve the boater, and the air crew flew him to Coast Guard Base Astoria, where emergency medical services treated him. He was mildly hypothermic and had minor injuries consistent with bumping his head, Clark said.

“Talk about arriving in the nick of time!” officials wrote on Twitter.

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This story was originally published February 3, 2023 at 7:24 PM with the headline "Nearby boat capsizes during Coast Guard training in Oregon. See the dramatic rescue."

Brooke Baitinger
McClatchy DC
Brooke Baitinger is a former journalist for McClatchyDC.
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