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Perhaps your ocean experience has only been in Florida, where it's quite a lot different than on a rocky West Coast shore. For one thing, the water is a HELL of a lot colder and unpredictably turbulent.

For another, a "wave" even only three feet isn't a thing that washes gently ashore, but on a rocky shoreline, crops up under surges and rocks and undercurrents, looks fairly benight, and all the sudden becomes like the swipe of a tiger's paw, and remember ... it's damned cold.

Also, unlike in Florida, in Oregon you're likely wearing lots of heavy clothing that will weight up with water and sink you like a stone, and pulling it off while running (or trying to safely jump off rocks) may not be an option.

Just some things to think of ... I loved Florida's shoreline, by the way, but found the whole Atlantic coast and coastal seas a whole helluva lot different than my beloved California coast, which I know fairly well from San Diego to Fort Bragg.

You said — “a 3 foot wave?? you have got to be kidding. wasn’t he holding her hand?”

Yeah, a 3-foot wave (one of those rogue waves, above the normal waves) *definitely* could do it to you in a hurry. That’s why people lose their lives on the Oregon Coast if they’re not careful.

And remember, we’re talking about 20-foot seas and weather that was so bad that the Oregon Coast Guard wouldn’t stay there more than 15 minutes and had to return to base.

So, I’ll give you a scenario where you couldn’t do anything, in a situation like that. If you’re out there with someone, around that bigger rock, and watching the waves come in, you’re probably not standing in any depth of water, but just standing right outside where the last waves just came up to shore....

And then, all of a sudden a rogue wave comes in and it’s three-foot higher than where they’ve been coming in before. Now, three feet is half the height of a six foot guy. If I was standing there and got hit with a three foot wave, I would have to immediately try and brace myself because it’s going to be a hard hit and could easily knock me off my feet.

Next, the water is going to be rushing back out to sea from that wave and it *rushes* too — depending on the slope of the beach where you’re at. If it’s a one-foot wave (if, you’re in one foot of water), you can really feel that pull back out to the ocean. If it’s two feet, it’s really pulling and if you fall down, you could be pulled out. If it’s three feet — you’re definitely in trouble, if you don’t watch out. There’s a *big mass* of water pulling really hard on you — so much so that it can pull you right out to the ocean in a hurry.

If you’re *down* and scrambling to gain footing again, you’re not going to be helping anyone else. If you manage to maintain your footing, you can’t move in three feet of rushing water — but can barely maintain your balance, at that point. You can’t move anywhere..., or else you’ll stumble and fall and be washed out.

It’s very dangerous and especially so on that day.

The only time you’re going to “move” is once the water has gone out enough (from that three foot wave) that you can move around again — perhaps at a two-foot depth or less, at that point. But, even at two-feet, you’re going to have a hard time moving in that water, while it’s rushing out to the ocean.

It’s more likely that you can move around a bit more at one-foot depth of rushing water. And, by that time, the person can be gone and out that far away — without a doubt.

At my church a member of the youth group was lost at the beach and never found again. It didn’t take much for that young and strong guy (who was no wimp himself) to “lose it” in the ocean along the Oregon Coast.

If there is anything I could leave you with — in regards to that coast — it’s that it’s dangerous and you never turn your back on the ocean and you keep watching those waves and be ready to *run for it* — if you see a rogue wave coming... LOL...

he turned around only to see her 30 feet away and still moving? seriously? and why take your eyes off her? why not run in and take the jacket off while running?