Nature is a scary and unreasonable force that we simply can’t control, especially when she’s in a mood. A man from Arkansas had to learn that lesson the hard way, when he drove his red Nissan into the Humboldt Bay’s North Jetty. The waves and the wind were so strong, and the structure of the rocks so harsh, that the man couldn’t be rescued by land. The U.S Coast Guard had to airlift him via air crew.
The Humboldt Bay North Jetty is a natural bay located in the North Coast of California, and it’s often the location of some pretty high tides and wild waves. The morning of the incident, the National Weather Service posted a warning on its Facebook page regarding the ocean conditions that day.
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“Overnight, the high swell has been traveling towards NW California coast,” the official statement reads. “At around 11 pm Wednesday, Buoy 46015 saw wave height rise to 19 feet with a wave period of 19 seconds. This indicates a surf height of 27 feet. A High Surf Advisory is in effect for west and northwest facing beaches along NW California coast through 4 pm this afternoon. After that, sneaker wave threat will persist through Friday afternoon.”
So, naturally, most people kept their distance including the photographer who caught the footage of the truck getting stuck. Tyler Whiteside said that he was surprised to see the truck drive into the white water, presumably to get a better view of the high tides. He didn’t know what to do, and once he assessed that it didn’t look like a suicide attempt, he started filming.
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The footage is terrifying. It shows the waves crashing over the jetty from both sides and rattling the red truck, pushing it from side to side. Amazingly, the driver kept driving on, unaware of the danger ahead of him. The man even gets out of his truck a few times to assess his situation, seemingly unaware of the fact that one of the waves around him could knock him off his feet at any second. That’s when onlookers realized that he must have been a tourist, so they called 911.
The US Coast Guard released a statement regarding the incident, and needless to say they were not pleased by the driver’s carelessness. According to the statement, they were unable to attempt a rescue by land, so they had to dispatch a helicopter to get the man. The man was uninjured and the truck was left behind until the jetty conditions became safer.
“The Coast Guard reminds the public to remain vigilant during changing ocean conditions and remain off coastal rocks, jetties, and outcroppings during periods of high surf,” reads the statement. “When boating, always wear a life jacket, file a float plan, and check the weather before heading out.”
