Beach Safety Basics: Dangerous Logs, Part I

Video: Waves with driftwood.

Audio (Diane Wetzel-Price-Price, beach safety advocate): "It started out just like any other spring break. We were heading to, um, Gleneden Beach at the ... Oregon Coast. We were staying in a condominium there. We had just arrived and unpacked and, um, were having lunch. And ... I was cleaning up after lunch and the boys headed to the beach. And, uh ... moments later I heard screaming and yelling from people that were on the beach. And I raced out there ... and they said two boys had been injured. And ... that minute I ... I knew it was my two boys. It's just something a mother knows. It was my two boys.

Video: Camera pans across a beach.

Audio (Wetzel-Price): "So it's like that feeling when you're dreaming and you're rushing through the sand. And I'm trying to run and ... I just ... it was like slow motion.

(Video: Still pPhoto of Jacob Wetzel-Price-Price, Sneaker wave/log roll victim and copy of news article "Boy's death at beach puts adults on notice"

Video: Grant Singleton

Audio (Grant Singleton, Jacob's friend): "We saw the log ... a log sitting there and we're just ... kids trying to have fun. And ... just kind of play on the log. We didn't think that the water was coming in. And, I didn't really pay attention but ... now that I think of it, yeah, the tide was coming in.

Video: Heavy log bobbing in waves

Audio (Singleton): "It's like we kind of turned our back to the ocean and ... the waves just kind of snuck up on us. And, uh ... we were ... just playing on it and a ... like sneaker wave ... or bigger wave came up and it hit the log, and it knocked him off it and it rolled over him."

Video: Richard Beemer stands in front of a pile of driftwood logs.

Audio (Richard Beemer, Lincoln County Medical Examiner): "The ... the people get in trouble are very frequently people who don't live here and, uh ... uh, right on this beach, uh, two years ago I was handing out beach safety information and talking to people and, uh ... uh, we pointed out that the tide was coming in. And a lady ... an adult lady, said, the tide comes in? Does it do that every day? And we said, yes. As a matter of fact, it comes in twice a day, every day. And this was news to her.

Video:

Audio (Beemer): "So the problem is, people from elsewhere or who are not aware of what happens in the ocean, etcetera, get into trouble because of not being aware."

Video: People playing on an Oregon beach.

Audio (N arrator): "Oregon's beautiful beaches offer plenty of opportunity for our many visitors. Whether your hobby is hiking, biking, building sand castles or just walking the beach, the Oregon Coast has plenty to offer.

"However, it is important to remember that the ocean can be as dangerous as it is beautiful. Visitors that forget about the hidden dangers of Oregon's beaches can find themselves in some scary situations.

"Remind your parents of these safety tips when you visit the beach:

• Always keep an eye on the ocean.
• Watch out for sneaker waves. Sneaker waves can appear suddenly. They often come rushing high upon shore with deadly force.
• Please don't play on the logs, especially logs on wet sand or in the water. The ocean is strong enough to pick up even the biggest log and plop it down on top of you. Remember, stay off logs in the surf or on wet sand.
• Be aware of incoming tides.

[End of Part I]