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Articles From 2005 – When My Friends and I Helped Two Strangers at Ocean Shores

Shoreline man rescued after rip tide carries him away from the beach
By Kaitlin Manry – Daily World writer
Saturday, May 28, 2005 11:06 PM PDT
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OCEAN SHORES – After getting swept into deep ocean water by a rip-tide, a 21-year-old Shoreline man was rescued by Ocean Shores Surf Rescue officers, Saturday afternoon.

John Scarcelli was swimming with two friends near the Quinault Beach Resort & Casino when an undercurrent pulled them out to sea. After hearing the men call for help, a bystander called 911 at 11:40 a.m., and officers arrived two minutes later, according to Sgt. Paul Luck.

Scarcelli’s friends were able to break free of the dangerous current and swim to shore, but he remained stranded in the ocean. Officer Chris Iversen and firefighter Mike Thuirer, both members of the Surf Rescue team, reached Scarcelli on Sea-Dos and brought him to shore, Luck said. He was treated for hypothermia and taken to Grays Harbor Community Hospital in Aberdeen, where he was treated and released, according to a nursing supervisor.

“A 2 minute response time is really good with as many people as are on the beach today,” Luck said, Saturday. “It took us a while to suit up and get down there, but the first guy was on scene in 2 minutes. … We were real pleased.”

In addition to Ocean Shores police and fire departments, the Grays Harbor County Sheriffs Office responded and the Coast Guard flew overhead, making sure no one else was trapped at sea.

Volunteers manned the main Ocean Shores beach approaches and distributed information on rip currents Saturday.

“If you are caught in a rip current, swim parallel to the shore until you get out,” Luck said.

He also advised swimmers to take a break at least every 20 minutes to prevent hypothermia.

“It never has been safe to swim,” he said. “We always say never go out past your knees.”

My response, with the help of my dad. This was a letter to the editor that appeared later in the week.

Some true heroes were overlooked in rescue story
Thursday, June 2, 2005 11:09 AM PDT
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I enjoyed reading the May 29 Daily World article about John Scarcelli and his friend being rescued by the Ocean Shores Surf Rescue team and the Coast Guard, but a few very important details were left out of the story.

Although it is true that they were eventually rescued by these professional agencies, the fact that those agencies were called to begin with was because of the prompt and decisive actions of several bystanders.

Andrew, my son, happened to be one of them.

Andrew and his friends, Mark Tanis and Brett Scott, were at Ocean Shores for the Memorial Day weekend when they heard screams for help from the water.

When they investigated, they saw Scarcelli and his friends about 100 feet from shore. They appeared to be in trouble.

Without regard for their own safety, all three good Samaritans swam out to the two men. The water was crashing on them and they knew they had to act quickly. Andrew and Mark immediately grabbed the friend and began toward shore. Brett continued toward Scarcelli as he was farther out and began assisting him.

The water began taking its toll on Brett as he attempted to get Scarcelli to the beach and he had to abandon his effort. He then instructed Scarcelli on how to float on his back until professional help arrived.

Meanwhile, Andrew and Mark, at approximately 50 feet from shore with the friend, began yelling for others on the beach to call for assistance. After pulling Scarcelli’s friend from the water and ensuring his safety, my son turned back to the water to see if his friend Brett was able to bring Mr. Scarcelli to shore.

To his shock, he saw Brett make it to within 30 feet of the shore and stop swimming. He immediately re-entered the water to assist his friend, pulling him to shore where Brett collapsed on the beach.

The agencies credited with rescuing the swimmers were on scene within approximately two minutes and pulled Scarcelli from the water, but only after the heroic efforts of these fine young men. They are the ones who most likely saved these swimmers from drowning. While in the ambulance, Scarcelli thanked Brett for doing everything he could for him and said he would not have made it without him.

I thought you may want to know what really happened that day and credit the real heroes in your story – not just the Surf Rescue team and the Coast Guard, but these extraordinary young men who risked their own safety to help someone in danger. They are in the truest sense heroes!

Larry DeFilippis

University Place

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