Near Drowning at Cape Disappointment - How My Husband Saved My Life On Sept 3rd, 2014 our family set out to enjoy a bike ride on the coast of Cape Disappointment in WA. Overnight, the beach had become covered with millions of purple sailer jelly fish or their scientific name, Velella Velella. It was an unusual phenomenon which puzzled many beach combers and vacationers. “Have you got one stuck between your toes yet?” I asked two older ladies as they gingerly passed barefoot. “Yes! And it freaked me out!” she laughed. “They don’t hurt though, they are rather harmless. They only do this about every twenty years. This is their day of death.” I took a long, deep sigh and looked down the millions of beautiful blue circles with clear fins on top their backs. Down the beach, I pointed to the waves crashing against the cliffs below the lighthouse, “Two days ago I almost died there.” The women came close to my side as to offer assistance and to hear my story: It was our son Fionn’s ninth birthday and to celebrate we went camping at Cape Disappointment State Park. It was a favorite place of ours for the scenery and maritime history. We had arrived on Sept 1st and finished setting up camp and decided to sneak in some boogie boarding before the sun went down. All of our children wore full length wetsuits and were strong swimmers. They each had their own board and were not new to the sport. I had lent my wetsuit to my daughter as she had outgrown hers and I wore my Kokotat Gortex drysuit. I had been a cold-water touring kayak instructor for many years and had used this suit on expeditions in Lake Superior where the average temperature was 38F. While we were suiting up, I noticed the rubber gasket around my neck had a small tear making the tightness more slack around my neck. I showed it to my husband, Sean, and we commented how we would have to get it serviced once we returned home. A drysuit keeps you completely dry with rubber seals around your neck, wrists and ankles. I crouched down to force the air out of the suit so I would not be a floating mattress in the water. The kids found it entertaining. “It’s called burping the suit,” I informed them. They were impressed. We grabbed our boards and hit the waves for an hour. The tide was beginning to go out and a rip tide was forming rapidly. We were roughly 500 ft from the cliff wall where 7-8 ft waves pounded against it and rebounded back into the ocean, colliding into each other, otherwise known as clapotis waves. Sean, stood watch with the youngest two playing in the sand as I swam the surf with the older four children. Sean hates being in cold water and is the one that usually stands on shore saying he has to keep watch. Its the running joke in the family because he was an accomplished mountain ice climber prior to having our children. I heard shouting from the beach and turned to see Sean waving and yelling for everyone to move away from the encountering cliffs. We had drifted and in our play and excitement, did not notice Bono, our seven year old son, was being pulled by a fierce rip tide toward the cliffs. I could hear Bono screaming and crying in fear as he clung onto his board. I threw my board to our eldest child, Riley. I didn’t want to get caught up with the board’s leash while trying to swim my son to shore. I was trying to simplify his rescue. After all, I could still touch the ocean floor. I swam as fast as I could, not noticing I was taking in water through the broken seal around my neck. I kept yelling to Bono, “I’ve got you! Hang onto your board, honey! Mama’s coming!” Bono was being pulled closer and closer to the cliffs. The terror in his voice was unbearable to hear. It was a magical wave that suddenly appeared diagonally that lifted Bono up and away from danger. I thought, “You lucky duck!” This wave came in sideways and I watched him ride it to the shore with a great sense of relief. I was suddenly stunned that that a quick moment, I felt my body being pulled out to sea as I became trapped in the rip tide and extreme turbulent waters below the rocky cliffs. I had no life jacket. I had given my board to my daughter. I had no helmet for the contact against the impending cliffs and my suit was very heavy. Back on shore, Riley noticed I was in trouble. While Bono was being attended to Sean sent her to get help. There is no phone service at Cape Disappointment. Riley ran back to the campsite and screamed for help. She found a park ranger who had a hand radio and the coast guard was called. A nearby camper who was retired from the military and knew CPR came running back with Riley. Large waves crashed over my head and I went spinning in summersaults like in a giant washing machine. I gasped for air only to get hit again and with every ounce of strength I would surface and gasp for another hellish cycle. I thought about the recent depression I had been going through and thoughts of wanting to not be in my body anymore (I suffer from Hashimoto’s Disease and Adrenal Fatigue) and the suicide of Robin Williams. I thought, “Well, here’s my chance, I guess to get out of all that mess.” No one ever wants to admit depression. No one really wants to hear about it either. In that moment I had to make a choice and I chose to fight. I attempted to float on my back but the weight of the suit and the exhaustion of my neck from trying to get air didn’t allow me to lift my body backward. I thought if I had enough time in between waves I could attempt to open my neck seal and get air back into my suit but the compression of the water made it impossible and the risk of flooding the suit was high, quickening my drowning. I looked back to the beach and saw my husband on shore. I waved my arms to him and shouted for help. I managed to do this only twice. I was pummeled again with large surf and I fought with everything I had to get one more breath. I turned toward the ocean and felt so sad. I realized I could only last a minute or two more before I would start taking in water. I looked back at the beach and saw my husband swimming for me but my inner voice said, “I’m sorry honey, it’s too late.” The wave set had changed and a small break had given him a chance to get close enough to throw a boogie board to me. My fingertips caught the tip of it and Sean kept yelling for me to grab it. Just then, another wave threw me and I tumbled within feet of the cliffs. No matter how hard I kicked to gain distance, the waves swept away any success. I remembered a book I had read, Deep Trouble, about fatal kayaking accidents that at times involved slamming into cliffs. A large rock with barnacles was ahead of me with water crashing over and around it. Sean yelled for me to get on the rock. As the wave dumped me near it, I was able to grab a barnacle with my fingernail. It gave way and I was pulled back out. A few more failed attempts and then my hand made contact. I pushed myself to it’s side and aimed for a narrow canal towards shore. Sean was on the other side of the rock, clinging onto his own boogie board. I could not see or hear him for a couple of minutes. My body was limp and I could no longer kick. I kept yelling, “I’m all right!” hoping he would hear me. As I finally cleared the canal, I saw him and he grabbed me to get out of the water. My legs would not move. I had never been that exhausted. I could not stand. I collapsed back into the water face down. The man from the camp came to our aid and helped Sean drag me to shore. He introduced himself and gave his credentials and began checking me over. Riley stood at my feet, eyes swollen and red from crying. The sky was perfect and blue. Others stood around me and asked me to recite simple things like my name, my age, etc. That night I managed to make dinner at the camp. Everyone was still shook up, cold and hungry. We sat together eating spaghetti. Our second oldest, Liam, said, “If it weren’t for you, dad, we wouldn’t be eating this great dinner.” Sean and I paused for a minute and thought about what he just said. “You mean, because I saved mom’s life she was able to make you this delicious dinner?” Sean clarified. “Yeah, dad,” Liam smiled. I laughed. That night I only suffered leg cramps. The park rangers warned me to eat lots of bananas but I had eaten them before the incident. The next morning I wanted to see the spot where it all happened. I had hoped to study the area to better understand the ocean and the cliff’s dynamics. We all took a morning walk and stood at low tide where I had fought for my life. We hugged while we recalled what we were thinking and doing during the event. It was a series of little things that turned into a serious big thing. Sean’s arm wrapped around my shoulder as we slowly walked away down the beach. Just ahead a message was written in the sand, “Don’t Worry Be Happy.” I smiled and let the sun shine on my cheek. A few more yards a second message was written, “Keep Being Awesome.” I fought back the tears and was whole in gratitude for my life. My sons birthday was spent by lantern in the tent. We gathered together and shared our favorite stories about him as a little baby, sang to him and opened presents. I handed him a package that arrived by mail from my mother. Fionn opened it and frowned, The card says your name on it and the gift is for you. Inside was another present for Fionn, but my package was a message from my mother sending her love and a t-shirt with a picture of many kayaks on it. I held it against my chest, Im glad I get to wear this, I quietly to Sean. Im thankful I dont have to send her bad news. I dont even know how I would have managed to drive home, he replied. I gained a better perspective that week as I reflected about my role as wife and mother and as a person with Hashimoto’s disease. I got to celebrate my son’s ninth birthday. I got to wash my daughter’s hair. I got to eat a salad prepared by my children. I got to clean the house. Life feels wonderful! _____________________________ Cape Disappointment has had over 2,000 shipwrecks and 700 deaths. It is known as the Pacific’s Graveyard.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 22:36:28 +0000
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