The Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District on Tuesday clarified that the Beaverton teen who died Friday off the coast of Cannon Beach had been wading in knee-deep water not swimming when a riptide pulled him under the water.
Jacob Stokes, a senior at Mountainside High School, was at the edge of the ocean with three other boys Friday around 3:50 p.m. when their companions on shore lost sight of them. Two made it out of the water on their own. A third was pulled from the ocean by a rescue swimmer. Stokes is presumed to have drowned.
An initial press release about the partial rescue said the boys had been swimming in the ocean.
“After reviewing statements from the students involved and witnesses, it is more accurate to say that the group was wading in knee-deep water along the ocean shelf,” the Cannon Beach fire department’s statement said. “They were struck by a wave and then pulled out by an intense rip current.”
A spokesperson for the Beaverton School District, Shellie Baliey-Shah, said it was important for the public to know Stokes and his companions were not acting recklessly.
“It is very important to the families involved that the record be set straight — not only for Jacob’s memory but also as a warning to others about the dangers of the ocean even in shallow, seemingly harmless water,” Bailey-Shah wrote. “This was simply an unforeseen and tragic accident.”
Bailey-Shah included a statement she attributed to the families of the four students:
We want to make clear the activities that our sons were engaged in on Friday afternoon. We feel an important clarification needs to be made. The term “swimming” implies a different activity than what our sons were doing on Friday. These young men were enjoying the shoreline, wading in the water and enjoying the waves crashing around their knees.
The tragedy that befell them involved a terrible and subtle danger that was the combination of waves hitting while they were unknowingly close to a shelf and a rip tide forming. While two of them were able to get out of the water, two were swept out.
We are appreciative of the kind words from Cannon Beach community members who were present on Friday and echoed this, as well. One member from Cannon Beach Fire and Rescue also pointed out the low tide being so far out that day and the inherent danger that created.
We ask that your reporting be updated to reflect this information — that our sons were wading in the water, not swimming. This distinction is not only important to us but to others as a critical safety warning. Thank you for your consideration.
— Beth Slovic; bslovic@oregonian.com; 503-221-8551
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