[UPDATE: Now with Video] Stranded Teen Rescued from the Arcata Marsh
Video provided by Nathan Ray King
Press release from Arcata Fire Districts:
On January [9], 2024, just before 6:00 P.M., Arcata Fire District units were dispatched to the South I Street Arcata Marsh area for the report of a water rescue. The Fortuna Cal Fire ECC requested Humboldt Bay Fire respond with their rescue swimmer. Upon arrival, Arcata Fire personnel contacted Arcata Police Officers who were in verbal communication with a 15-year-old male who was stranded on an island in the marsh. Due to low tide and steep muddy embankments, the juvenile was unable to make his way to the shore.
Arcata Fire and Arcata Police units established visual contact with the juvenile who was approximately 200 yards from shore. Weather conditions were deteriorating, and personnel determined through verbal assessment that the juvenile was becoming hypothermic. As fire personnel attempted to find possible access paths across the sloughs and marsh areas to the juvenile, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter was requested to the scene.
The USCG helicopter was in the area and arrived within minutes of the request. The helicopter crew hoisted the juvenile and transported him to nearby Arcata Fire personnel on shore who assessed the patient and transferred him to an awaiting ambulance.
Arcata Fire District would like to recognize the team effort of the Arcata Police Department, Arcata Fire District, Arcata-Mad River Ambulance, Cal Fire Emergency Communications Center, Humboldt Bay Fire and the United States Coast Guard.
This incident may have had a much different outcome if it wasn’t for the coordination of multiple agencies and the availability of a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter in this area.
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Be safe out there kiddos and don’t adventure further then common sense dictates.
Is common sense learned or innate? There were many times the words “well I won’t do that again” seem to be the source of common sense.
Expensive lesson…$$$
Good judgement comes from experience, experience comes from poor judgement
Or….. good judgment comes from practicing critical thought. Nothing about this states “I do smart things on the regular” these are the types of people nature used to sort out until we started putting warning labels on food wrappers………
Common sense is not common in teenagers.
Guy that worked for me year’s ago decided to go canoeing on the the bay…forgot about that tide thing…sat in the mud for hours before he got back to shore…
I’m glad this kid is safe.
Do I know you? Probably not me. It was darn near the same location as this kid. I was in my canoe with a buddy. Didn’t forget the tide, but, I did listen to my buddy who wanted to take every little crick that snaked it’s way back to the Manilla mill slough where we put in. I said we needed to follow the deep channel toward the middle then back to the mill. It seemed counter-intuitive to him. We spent about 5 hours out there. It was summer. Still a touch of light on the horizon as I woke to the rising water lapping against the hull. Started floating about 9:45pm and paddling by 10. And throughout, there was NO WAY I was going to call attention to us. I did NOT want to be in the news, a fate worse than the bills, as evidenced by some of these comments.
Also, note to canoeists: don’t follow kayaks across the Eureka south bay during an ebbing tide, they are fast, you are not. Almost got stuck there also as the kayakers sat in the safety of the deep channel cheering us on.
I believe these are the islands in the marsh ponds.
I didn’t think those were tidal, but, I haven’t been there in awhile.
I just reread the press release. The kid was 200 yards from shore. Those ponds are barely half that let alone twice that to get 200 yds out.
Ambulance companies are predatory….they’ll charge close to $1500 for a short trip to the ER
Heh, heh… wait till they hit the Emergency Room charges !
Gotta love the Coasties!
Wondering how he got out to the island in the first place.
Muddy shoes?
My thought, too. Would have thought reporter would have addressed this. Kayak? And why did he go out to an island? Not deep water.
It’s a press release. We don’t have access to the youth to ask questions.
He’s a teenager; that’s probably the reason.
Ooooh, he is so grounded.
Nonsense, I bet he will be attending: TOUR THE ARCATA MARSH WITH ELLIOTT DABILL ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON
I think he got the tour times and dates mixed up…probably HAF
Great video…You can really see what’s going on there.
Spielberg was busy that night.
Can’t imagine his first day back in school.
How embarrassing!
I’m glad everything went smooth during the rescue.
Adventure and a helicopter ride, your only a teenager once
I dig the frogman…
I dig the Fearless Frogman..