In Daring Hoist, Coast Guard Swimmer Recovers Victim From Thor's Well
On Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard responded to a report of a drowning tourist in Thor's Well, a deep hole in the rocky shoreline south of Yachats, Oregon. The spot is both a roadside attraction and a hazard to the unwary, and not all who have gone in have survived.
At about 1540 hours, the service got a call reporting a man who had fallen into the well and needed rescue. A helicopter aircrew out of North Bend was dispatched to the scene and assist - but when they arrived after 20 minutes of flight, the victim was no longer visible to responders on shore; he had already drowned and was face-down in the water.
The helicopter's rescue diver, Tyler Gantt, was tasked with the mission of recovery, a difficult job that would be much more hazardous to attempt from the shore. But the job of lowering away into a sinkhole that has a constantly-fluctuating water level and crashing surf, with rock walls on each side, is hardly safe. Gantt told the Lincoln Chronicle that it was one of the most hazardous missions he'd taken in 10 years on the job.
Thor's Well up close
To give Gantt the best chance, the co-pilot watched the waves and called out a countdown to impact. Instead of dangling on the wire, Gantt stayed hooked up but climbed down the rock face, keeping him out of the rising and falling water (and away from the submerged caverns below). After many tries, he grabbed the body and was hoisted back to safety, he told the Chronicle.
Gantt said that he couldn't recommend the well as an attraction to inspect at close range.
"Speaking as someone who’s been inside Thor’s Well, not very many people have been in it and lived. But speaking as someone who’s been in it – there’s nothing to see in there. It’s a hole in a rock," he told the outlet. "The only cool thing about it to see is the waves coming out of the spout from a safe distance. That’s all I have to say about that."