Two People Stuck on Sandbar
Yesterday at 4:47 pm, Oak Island Water Rescue and Oak Island Fire Department were dispatched for a report of two persons who had gone out to a sandbar (at lower tide) between the Kings Lynn Drive side of the point and Sheep Island.
After the arrival of Oak Island Fire Department’s Engine 171, it was determined that the two persons were not in distress but were unable to return to shore, as they were cut off by the rising tide. Oak Island Water Rescue responded with Boat 4491 (surf launch inflatable rescue boat) to the Kings Lynn parking area. Boat 4490 (larger IRB) responded to the Blue Water Point boat ramp. Chief Young made the decision to launch Boat 4491 to retrieve the two persons from the sand bar and they were safely brought back to the point.
A few quick thoughts about this call – It was a great decision by the two people not to attempt to swim from the sand bar back to the point. The currents there can be very strong and swimmers can become exhausted and in distress. Swimming in that area can be especially dangerous because the water appears calm but the currents and water depths are constantly changing.
Here along the coast it’s very necessary to check the tide chart when deciding to go boating, kayaking, swimming, or walking in low tide accessible areas.
From the Oak Island Water Rescue perspective – We utilized our new surf launch boat. While that sounds simple, it shows the importance of the training and familiarization we performed this winter. It was a bit chilly at times but it was essential so that were were prepared for the increasing emergency calls that occur this time of the year. A few weeks ago we had Boat 4491 in that identical location to determine how easy it would be to hand launch the boat from that parking area and how well the new boat can access the shallow areas around Sheep Island at low tide. Once again, training pays dividends.
The two photos of Boat 4491 are from a previous training exercise and are shown here for reference only.


