A 42-year-old man died Sunday evening at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma after he tried to climb a cliff to escape the rising tide and fell about 200 feet.
The man has not been publicly identified, and a cause of death has not been determined. Tacoma Police Department officers were dispatched at about 4:10 p.m. to Five Mile Drive after a person found the man's body in the water.
Rosemary Ponnekanti, a spokesperson for Tacoma Metro Parks, said the man and his wife were walking along the shoreline beyond Owen Beach when they became cut off by the incoming tide near the Dalco Passage Viewpoint. Citing police, Ponnekanti said the couple became separated, and the man tried to climb the cliff while his wife made her way back to Owen Beach, where their vehicle was parked. She planned to meet her husband above, and she called 911 when he didn't appear.
Initial reports indicate the man died of severe trauma from the fall, Ponnekanti said. She said a Tacoma Fire Department boat was dispatched at about 4:30 p.m. Police said the fire department boat pulled the man's body from the water.
"We were really devastated to learn of this terrible accident," Ponnekanti said. "Our deepest, deepest condolences for his loss to his wife, to his family, their friends and our community."
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, high tide was at a peak of 12.17 feet in Tacoma at about 5:22 p.m., which made it higher than the average tide. At 4 p.m., the tide was at about 10 feet.
Tacoma police are investigating the man's death. Spokesperson Wendy Haddow said it did not appear suspicious. The Pierce County Medical Examiner will determine his cause of death.
Ponnekanti asked visitors of Point Defiance Park to observe signs and fences warning about the instability of the cliffs. She said visitors should watch the tide tables, which are posted at the north end of Owen Beach.
"A plea to people: don't climb those cliffs, either from above or below," Ponnekanti said. "They're very unstable because it's a very dynamic, constantly changing landscape. If you get stuck, call 911."
