Video of the rescue provided by a reader.

A man and woman in their 50s were rescued after they were swept off the Crescent City Jetty at approximately 12:40 p.m. yesterday.

Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. and Search and Rescue Coordinator Ed Fleshman told the Outpost that the victims clung to harbor rocks in frigid waters for an hour before rescuers were able to pull them into an emergency raft.

“They were extremely lucky to have survived the initial wash-off,” Fleshman said. “To have been seen by anybody, to be in such a place where we were able to coordinate all the resources to get them to safety, they were extremely fortunate.”

The victims, who were not residents of the North Coast, were reportedly walking along the jetty when waves knocked them onto the harborside rocks below. Once rescued, the victims were treated for hypothermia and transported to the hospital for possible back and shoulder injuries.

On Sept. 28, a 43-year-old man from Los Angeles died after being swept off the jetty, prompting the Crescent City Harbor District to call for better caution signs in the area.

Responding agencies that assisted in yesterday’s rescue include: the Crescent City Police Department, Crescent City Fire and Rescue, the Del Norte County Shierff’s Office, Del Norte Sheriff Search and Rescue, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Del Norte Ambulance and the Yurok Tribal Department of Public Safety.

“The ocean is unpredictable and extremely powerful,” Fleshman said. “It's very dangerous to underestimate that.”

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