A grandmother’s wise advice saved the life of her 12-year-old granddaughter dragged into the ocean by an ‘extremely powerful and unforgiving’ wave while swimming in Oregon.
In what was described as a ‘miracle’, the pre-teen girl survived after being swept into the water at Seaside Beach, about 80 miles north west of Portland, just after 6pm on Saturday.
She was missing for a terrifying 30 minutes as a rough rip current swept her out to sea beyond the sight or reach of family.
Fortunately the unnamed girl from Salem knew exactly what to do thanks to her sage-like grandmother, who taught her to float on her back and let the water take her if she ever found herself in the frightening situation.
The little girl did exactly that until she spotted land and swam to the shore about 10 blocks from where she was initially pulled under, a Seaside spokesperson told Oregon Live.
Emergency crews, who brought in a helicopter to survey the area to find the girl, quickly examined her before bringing her to Providence Seaside Hospital.
She was conscious and alert and only had a little bit of water in her left lung. The rescue team also warmed her up to avoid hypothermia after she got out of the 50 degree water, the grandmother, who wished to remain anonymous, told the outlet.
Wendi Monroe, who witnessed the frantic search and rescue while spending time down the shore with her fiancé, said the water was very rough that day.
‘You just couldn’t see because the waves were so bad that day,’ Monroe said.
A 12-year-old girl used her grandmother’s advice after she was pulled into rough water at Seaside Beach in Oregon on Saturday evening. (Pictured: A crowd of onlookers stand on the sand while emergency personnel search for the girl)
Wendi Monroe, who witnessed the frantic search and rescue while spending time down the shore with her fiancé, said the water was very rough that day
Seaside officials echoed Monroe’s statement, saying that the water was ‘extremely powerful and unforgiving,’ but the situation ended in ‘a really good outcome.’
The girl was at the beach that day with her best friend and family, the grandmother said.
Both girls were knee-deep in the ocean water just before a massive wave hit them, causing her granddaughter to lose her balance and fall.
She was quickly pulled into the water while her friend managed to stay standing.
After about 30 minutes of searching for the girl, she thankfully pulled herself to safety.
Monroe posted dramatic photos of the scene as emergency personnel and locals came together to find the girl that evening.
Many people were seen gathered on the sand as police cars and ambulances parked nearby.
A helicopter was also seen in the sky trying to locate the girl in the rough water.
After floating on her back and letting the water take her, like her grandmother told her to do, the girl was pulled to safety after 20-30 minutes in the 50 degree water
She was conscious and alert and only had a little bit of water in her left lung. The rescue team also warmed her up to avoid hypothermia
One image showed what appeared to be an emergency crew pushing a gurney on the sand as the treacherous waves continued on in the background.
‘So this was pretty intense and heartbreaking to watch,’ Monroe captioned the post.
‘To watch the 1st responders and Search and Rescue do everything they could to find this little girl was extremely impressive. There is no way in the world that I could do that line of work. Much respect to all of you, that do.’
Paul Johnson, the father of the girl’s friend, praised the rescue team for their ‘amazing job’ in helping locate and save the young girl.
The grandmother said the girl was only in the hospital for about two hours before being released after the terrifying incident.
Monroe said it was a ‘miracle’ that the girl got out of the water safely.
‘For that little girl, I hope she knows how much of a miracle that is that she did survive,’ she said.
