Tourists trying to take a photo were stranded for hours on Lost Boy Beach roughly 63 miles west of Portland, Oregon, and had to be rescued after the tide cut off their route back.
Two men and a woman in their 20s went to the cove on the Pacific Ocean around 3:44 p.m. local time Wednesday seeking “a dramatic photo opportunity,” Netarts-Oceanside Rural Fire Protection District Chief Jeff McBrayer said, according to the Salem Statesman-Journal.
Pictures posted online by the fire department show that the three, unnamed by officials, made an SOS sign using available driftwood; they also called emergency services for assistance.
The tourists were stuck at Lost Boy Beach for about five hours before fire department rescue swimmers helped them to safety. The three incurred some bumps and scrapes but no serious injuries, Chief McBrayer said, according to The Oregonian.
Lost Boy Beach is only accessible without wading in water for a roughly five-minute period during low tide, according to the Salem Statesman Journal.
“Typically, we would wait until low tide, but that would have been late at night. Our water rescue team used a rope system to access the victims, placed them in life vests and assisted them through the surf to safety,” Chief McBrayer told NBC News.
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