Summer's Gnarly Danger Along Oregon / Washington Coast They Don't Talk About

Published 6/23/24 at 7:25 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection

(Oregon Coast) - As the summer season unfolds, you may find yourself strolling along the tideline at the Oregon or Washington coast. The waves appear farther out than usual, inviting you to explore your favorite beach spots – such as, say, Moclips, Meyers Creek near Gold Beach, Cannon Beach or Pacific City. However, there’s a hidden danger lurking beneath the seemingly harmless surface. (Above: high sand levels create these unusual pools at the tideline at Manzanita - some are deep holes)

Heading out for a wade in the water? Yes, the danger of sneaker waves or large, gnarly breakers is less. But the idyllic scene masks the risk: what appears safe could lead to injury or even drowning, and it's something no one ever talks about.

Summer sand levels rise considerably along the coastlines, and this can create giant holes in the surf you can't see.

There is a hidden danger in conditions like these, where there are large pools of water that look harmless, but they are not. Summer's high sand levels on the Washington coast or Oregon coast produce large dune-like blobs of sand, and the spaces between them are rather deep. As long as you can see where you’re stepping, all is well. But imagine if those gaps were filled with water - then the situation changes dramatically. Vigilance is key in a new way you didn't know about.

You could find yourself falling into water much deeper than you were aware of.

Consider Tillicum Beach near Waldport, where a large pool lies in front of the tideline. You can see the bottom here (above). Yet what if you couldn't? And there's lots of times out here that you can't. If that's the case, you could be looking at a five-foot drop into the water.

The idyllic scene masks the risk: what appears safe could lead to injury or even drowning.

Luckily, the worst scenario doesn't happen often. However, feedback from Oregon Coast Beach Connection readers shows an overwhelming number of people having bad experiences with this. Stories range from the coastlines of California up through Washington and Oregon beaches.

One local teen in Cannon Beach died of just such an instance back in the 2000s.

What happens is that people are walking along those inviting sand bars above big pools of water, and then when they step into one of those pools they find it's a lot deeper than they thought. Some of these sudden drop-offs are five maybe ten feet down.

Part of the problem is that there's a big jolt to their body because they dropped down farther than they expected. It hurts your whole torso to some degree. But if these holes / drop-offs are deep enough, you can actually find yourself below water.

To get an idea what's happening, take a look at the giant sand dune tufts at Newport's Nye Beach (above). Note the difference in height. What if you were walking along the tops of these and could not see the drop? That tumble would hurt.

That's just what's happening in the tideline at summer's sand levels along the Oregon and Washington coast.

They're sometimes called crab holes – at least on the north Oregon coast. According to Oregon State Parks and Recreation, there does not appear to be a name for this unique issue.

Keith Chandler from Seaside Aquarium explains:

“The sand under the ocean is not flat,” Chandler said. “There are holes, deeper spaces between those sand bars, and they can be deeper than you realize.”

Chandler said that for kids, a three- to four-foot drop can mean serious trouble. On the extreme end, those ten-foot crab holes are just plain deadly.

“Just the shock of landing so deep and so hard can knock the breath out of you,” he said. “Then, if you've dropped down far enough, like even into the water, you can't catch your breath.”

If your head is just barely above water, that kind of shock can cause you to loose your footing and drown, or be taken away by an incoming wave. Also, the deeper the hole the better chances you'll get washed away with the tides.

Even if this is a depth you can usually swim your way out of, with that kind of shock to your body, the resultant instinctive breathing in means you're likely to swallow water.

What to look for? That's kind of complex.

“If you can't see the sand at your feet, it's too deep to go into,” Chandler said.

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