Cannon Beach lifeguards rescued six people, including two children, swept up by a rip current at Chapman Point on Saturday.
Lifeguards watched the group get dragged farther from the shore by the current at 12:18 p.m., and one of them dove into the water while another guard called for help from local fire departments. Three other beach lifeguards dove in to help find the group.
Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District and the U.S. Coast Guard responded with water scooters and a helicopter, Cannon Beach lifeguards said in a social media post.
With the help of three local surfers, all six people were rescued, officials said. One lifeguard was treated for minor injuries.
Rip currents, sometimes called riptides, are strong, narrow channels of water moving toward the ocean starting near the shoreline.
Rip currents often look like darker, narrow gaps of water heading offshore between breaking waves or whitewater, according to the National Weather Service. Beachgoers should look for choppy, rippled water heading offshore. These areas will often seem like safe places to enter because no waves are rolling in, but should be avoided.
If you are caught in a rip current, don’t panic. It will pull you out farther from the shore but should not suck you under, according to the National Weather Service. Swimming back to shore against the rip current will be too exhausting, and officials say to swim parallel to the shore and out of the rip current before trying to make it back to the beach.
Most beaches will have flags and warnings if rip current conditions are expected.
For more instructions on spotting and escaping a rip current, see the weather service’s guide.
