The Unseen Danger: Sneaker Wave Claims Life Along Oregon’s Coast

An Oregon man, Hong B. Su, 45, of Happy Valley, died near Depoe Bay on Wednesday after being swept out to sea by a sneaker wave.

Sneaker Wave Near Depoe Bay Sweeps Man To His Death

The Oregon State Police (OSP) spokesperson Kyle Kennedy indicated that a sudden wave washed Su out to sea around 2 p.m. while fishing on the rocks near the shoreline at Otter Crest Loop.

He had been in the water for about 39 minutes when OSP and the U.S. Coast Guard tried to rescue him when they arrived at the scene, but he was declared dead shortly after being recovered by the U.S. Coast Guard.

In a recent similar incident, 72-year-old Joseph Neill, a photographer from North Bend, went missing while photographing a king tide near Jordan Point, across the bay from North Bend. He was swept away in the surf, and his body was recovered three weeks later in Haynes Inlet.