Sonoma County Sheriff’s helicopter rescues man clinging onto rocks along ocean shoreline

By Carlos E. Castañeda

A man clinging to rocks on the Sonoma County shoreline and getting battered by the surf was rescued by a sheriff’s helicopter crew on Sunday, the sheriff’s office said.

The incident happened at about 11:40 a.m. in the area of Rocky Point, a promontory off Highway 1 south of Stewarts Point and north of Horseshoe Point. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said it, along with Cal Fire, the North Sonoma Coast Fire Protection District, and the Coast Life Support District responded to the report of a person on the rocks approximately 100 yards offshore.

Cal Fire personnel arrived first and confirmed the subject was clinging to a rock and being struck by waves. The person appeared to have been in the ocean prior to reaching the rock, the sheriff’s office said. At the same time, the Sheriff’s Office helicopter crew was advised of two other persons possibly needing rescue on a nearby rock.

The helicopter was configured for a 100-foot longline rescue, and after reaching the promontory, a tactical flight officer was lowered to the victim who was able to stand and be hooked to the rescue line and lifted off the bluff. He was dropped off to an area where medics were staged and treated for cold water exposure, and released at the scene. the sheriff’s office said.

The helicopter flew back to the offshore rock to check on the other two people, and it was determined that they were fishing from the rock and not involved with the person who was rescued.

The two people refused to be extracted by the helicopter and remained on the large rock, the sheriff’s office said.