Tourists seeking ‘dramatic’ photo on isolated beach trapped by incoming tide

Tourists went to snap an iconic photo on Oregon’s Lost Boy Beach and wound up getting one taken of themselves in a storybook SOS rescue by the local fire department last week.

Three unnamed sea gawkers were stranded for five hours Wednesday, Sept. 16, after a rising tide cut them off from the mainland at the secluded Tillamook County cove. Having reportedly lost cell phone service at the bottom of the steep cliff, the group managed to contact 911 using an emergence satellite feature, The Oregonian reported.

Netarts-Oceanside Fire District received the call and found them stranded on the shrinking patch of beach with the tide rolling in on them, using a drone to capture footage of them spelling out a large “SOS” with sticks.

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Lost Boy Beach is accessible only by scrambling over rocky terrain and passing through a sea cave that is open at both ends. While the small beach is inviting during low tide, the rising water blocks the only exit.

“When people are stranded there, we may not be able to get to them,” NOFD Chief Jeff McBrayer told the paper.

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Crews initially considered waiting for the tide to recede, but opted for an active rescue due to rough surf, the presence of sneaker waves, and the fact that the tourists were already wet and cold, he added.

Navigating the dangerous conditions, rescuers hugged the remaining shoreline while secured to ropes instead of wading directly through the unpredictable water. Once they reached the tourists, responders provided life vests, clipped the group to the safety ropes, and guided them through the surf to a secure area where they could walk out on their own.

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The visitors emerged from the ordeal with only minor bumps and bruises.

Following the rescue, Chief McBrayer used the incident to remind coastal visitors of the area’s deceptive dangers of exploring isolated coves.

“You have to ask a local or check a tide app on a phone for tide information,” he said.

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Lost Boy Beach, situated on the northern Oregon coast just south of a towering basalt cliff, derives its ominous name from a century-old local legend. According to regional lore, the highly secluded spot was named after a young boy who was believed to have drowned after being trapped by the incoming tide. While it remains unverified if the tragic tale is historically accurate, the name has persisted for roughly 100 years, functioning as a built-in, enduring warning to visitors about the cove’s unpredictable and deadly conditions.

Historically, reaching this hidden stretch of sand has remained notoriously treacherous, wedged between Short Beach to the north and Tunnel Beach — sometimes known as Star Trek Beach — to the south. Unlike its neighboring Short Beach, which finally received a community-built “stairway of 100 steps” around 2000 to stop visitors from cracking their heads on a slippery cliff face, Lost Boy Beach has never featured safe overland access.

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Navigating to the beach from either side is exceptionally dangerous, with access only vaguely possible during rare, extreme low-tide events that occur just a couple of times a year.