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Exciting re-enactment of rescue.
Exciting re-enactment of rescue.

Happy Ending: “Distressed surfer” from Humboldt State University daringly rescued by Coast Guard helicopter before he drifts out to sea!

Come feel the wind in your hair!

And can we talk about the incredible Jaws event once more before our attention swings to Pipeline and today’s crowning of both its Master and the Championship Tour Champion? I almost can’t wait but… Jaws. It was just so much fun. The amount of waves ridden, the boldness of the competitors, the daring jet-ski rescues, that iconic yellow helicopter swirling overhead.

But have you ever ridden in a helicopter? I have a small handful of times in Papua New Guinea, backcountry Wyoming and Canada. The way those whirly birds raise straight from the ground, the way they dip, dodge, dive and duck is incredible.

Well, a very lucky young man, a university student from Humboldt State University just north of San Francisco’s Bay Area, got to play Jaws rescue and go for a ride and let’s read the thrilling tale Kris Nagel from a very well-written Coast Guard press release.

The Coast Guard and a California State Park Lifeguard rescued a 20-year-old Humboldt State University student from being swept into a rocky shoreline near Moonstone Beach, Sunday afternoon.

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At approximately 1:30 p.m., Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay received a 911-dispatch call reporting a surfer being swept toward a rocky shoreline due to a combination of rough seas and the surfer’s exhaustion.

Sector Humboldt Bay dispatched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and issued an urgent marine information broadcast via VHF-FM channel 16.

The Dolphin crew arrived on-scene at approximately 2:00 p.m. and found California State Park Lifeguard, Keven Harder, was in the water and had established contact with the distressed surfer.

After it was determined that the swimmer was too fatigued to make it back to shore, Harder signaled the Dolphin crew to deploy their rescue swimmer to hoist the surfer. Once the surfer was hoisted, the Dolphin crew remained on scene until Harder was able to swim back to the beach.

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The fatigued surfer, Kris Nagel, was taken to the California Redwood Coast – Humboldt County Airport and transferred to emergency medical services personnel who evaluated and released him.

Kris nagel (left) with his hero.
Kris Nagel (Left) With His Hero.

I wish our World Surf League would also employ the Coast Guard press release writer for its own. I can taste the salt. Feel the wind.

And have you ever been rescued anywhere? Skiing? Snowboarding? Mountain biking, hiking, street luge?

Describe!

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James Bickerton

Silly bugger should have spent less time studying at uni and more time studying the conditions…..?

C4cereal

I was rescued by my divorce attorney. It cost a fucken fortune. It was worth it.

Phat-wan kerr

Ditcher, Kwik and Hyde? they do great work

James Bickerton

Well I assume the university was named after Wilhelm Von Humboldt , the father of modern education , but , his brother Alexander Von Humboldt was no slouch either , scientist , adventurer , discovered the source of the Amazon ( the river ) and has an ocean current named after him , the Von Humboldt Current , which flows along the west coast of South America , from Southern Chile to Northern Peru .

Now these brothers , were somewhat like the Characters from Hess’ Narcissus and Goldmund , though slightly more competitive , and this modern drama at sea , could possibly be a Titanic Stuggle between these two godlike Prussian Figures fighting over the soul of our student surfer …… to stay in the academic cloister of the university or be set free on the ocean currents to discover the world ?

Measuring the World
Novel by Daniel Kehlmann …. is a wonderful fictional read concerning the lives of Alexander and Wilhelm Von Humboldt and the mathematician Gauss ( who strangely enough reminds me of Wiggs ) .

Derek Hynd's Missing Fins

Been in the water up there a few times with the waves getting big and scary, wondering how I was going to get to shore. Puts you in your place, quick. Plus, sharks.

Wilbur

Yeah I lived up there 14 years and know that stretch of coast well. Out of a mile there’s only 30 yards of rocks on that part of the coast. Usually paddling out is the hard part.

MaxNeoprene

Coast guard provides student a happy ending. Now that’s a government service I’d like to try

Yesterday's hero

Pat O: “we’re expecting 6-8 foot classic pipeline”….. it’s funny how some people hear so much PR aka shit around them they start to believe it. Poor guy, he seems like a good dude.

Gwen Walz’s Eyes

And the Surfline forecaster guy said today would be the biggest finals day in years

James Bickerton

Last week Joe said “ We have to thank Surfline for these great conditions in this year’s triple crown …. “ Joe , this was horrible ….
I think we must all remember that they are not a wave producer but a bunch of modern hi tech prophets selling dreams which sometimes …. occasionally come true for a price …… does this make Surfline a Religion ?

SoCalGary

Surfline … selling dreams and 805 Blonde Ale.

snakewrench

On a Wavestorm!

Lemon Next to the Pie

But did they save that wavestorm or leave it to be dashed upon the rocks?

Ricky Spanish

Just today I rescued myself from Chas’ latest shark story. I was about to dive in, thinking about how much entertainment his writing has brought in the past, but i stopped, realizing the odds weren’t good for escaping safely on this one. No helicopter needed.

Chief Hot stuff

Italos hair must be turning white.

Nick Carroll

I thought I was going to have to rescue Chas in the pool that time.

Otto

What stopped you? Couldn’t catch your breath laughing so hard?

Nick Carroll

I was busy rescuing Derek at the other end of the pool

Chas Smith

I wish you would have.

Smurfaholic

Surfline really on their game today…

https://uploads.disquscdn.c…

astro

Looks like we’ll all be rescued from the wait.
I saw a cam and op fucking around in the tower on explore.org !

SSD

Still on hold! Fuckin seeding round screwed this one

Nick Carroll

It’s gonna be on hold every hour till 2pm I reckon.

bruddah
astro

Roflmao

bruddah

Did Surfline not even bother to check their cams yesterday? Cause if so they’d of seen the HUGE fucking sandbar and weird currents just fucking everything up.

channelbottom

Send’em all out at Old Man’s with 12’ logs. The person who has the most fun wins.

Points for attempting headstands and board transfers with yer buddy.

James Bickerton

A Medina 6.5 Airwind Day gone begging ?

nyc surfing golden boy

who is that guy in the pic above?

Yesterday's hero

Are you going to admit your employer got it drastically wrong, Nick?

Nick Carroll

Oh man I feel for Kevin, like last night the swell began to rise like a deep west beast in the making and the buoys were swinging for the fences. It dead set looked like it might be on the edge of too solid this morning. Then, blurrghhh. Re “admitting”, what’s to admit? He got it wrong and he feels like shit.

bruddah

But were there any NS locals or people familiar w/ the swell/current/sand placement that might’ve seen this one coming? Why not bring in someone as a guest North Shore forecaster, have them on the clips/updates giving their thoughts?

James Bickerton

Or just some random surfers sitting on the balconies of any of the beach front houses at Pipe …
“ What’s it like ? “ random surfer “ shit ! “ yells next door to another random surfer “ do you concur ? “ … “ yep , shit ! “

Yesterday's hero

Fair enough. Good call. Poor Kevin.

Chief Hot stuff

No
The trials starring nobody
Fucked this shit up

Phat-wan kerr

they will run 1 round today at about 10 and then finish it off tomorrow. some cute barrels but title decided by an air. JJF will have to wait til next year for another crack at a pipe masters

Nick Carroll

No they won’t. They’re putting it all on Thursday. Something quite nasty in me enjoys these death roll events.

Mapski

The 2019 Gums Masters in memory of the Pipe Masters?

Nick Carroll

Well I do think Italo’s stocks just jumped a bit.

Derek Hynd's Missing Fins

And Kelly’s just dropped. What a joke, all of it. Millions of dollars at stake in various ways, and satellite technology to predict swell better than at any point in surfing history, and they fuck it up.

bruddah

Gonna become a billioniare, run for president, win, then first order of business will be getting this comp moved to sometime in Jan/Feb

Yesterday's hero

I love the sadist in you, Nick

Chief Hot stuff

It looks like curl curl on a bad day

astro

Ah well, there you have it.
They canned it again.

James Bickerton

I’ve have always wondered if the human that called it Curl Curl had a stutter ?

Chief Hot stuff

The early australians called it curial curial
Meaning
River of life river of life.

James Bickerton

Thanks Bex Medina

Medina
definition;

the old walled part of a North African town…. where your latest avatar may feel at home…. in the Maghreb .

Gino

Enjoyed watching the news in 2008 when Mark Philippousis had to rescued from Bells.
It was big,I’ll give him that, but he he was warned.

Lemon Next to the Pie

While he enjoyed being rescued at Bells, I reckon he would rather have been rescued from the contract of ‘The Bachelor’ he starred in. The look on his face when he realised that he wasn’t going to be in a house with a bunch of model wannabes, and was in fact trapped in house full of ‘cougars’, certainly said so.

Gino

Didn’t see it.
He’s does alright with the ladies though.

Lemon Next to the Pie

Sure, there is always a market for famous people with a certain amount of cash stashed away. If you get a chance to see the first episode, where he gets introduced to the ladies for the first time it is classic. He is looking quite pleased with himself about being the one guy all these babes are going to be fighting over.

And the first one gets presented. He keeps the smile. The second one is presented. The smile quivers, but stays. As the third, fourth and fifth ones are presented, you can see the smile heading south quickly. By the end, you can see his eyes darting around looking for his agent wondering how the hell he got signed up for this. Truly great car crash television.

James Bickerton

He might need a Philiposuction ?

Yesterday's hero

I’ve been rescued from myself, many times before.

Lemon Next to the Pie

Is that you JPY? Still in Newcastle?

Yesterday's hero

Where is Newcastle?

Chief Hot stuff

Exactly

James Bickerton

Back in Black ! Or just worried about your skin with the average temperatures slowly climbing ….. ?

Chief Hot stuff

In solidarity with sisters living under brutal regimes
E.g.
Britain,Australia,Saudi arabia

RS

He won’t be smiling if he gets the bill. Also, I love the subtle humor, “just north of San Francisco’s Bay Area.” No personal rescues but have had to call twice for others when I got down the mountain while biking.


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