This week, correspondent Bill Whitaker reported on 60 Minutes about the surfmen, an elite unit of the US Coast Guard.
These men and women with nerves of steel train in a dangerous inlet near the coastlines of Washington and Oregon that has been given an ominous nickname: the ‘Cemetery of the Pacific’ – and with good reason.
The wide, fast-moving Columbia River and the waves that have traveled all the way from Asia across the Pacific Ocean collide here. The chaotic surf has destroyed thousands of ships and sailboats over the centuries.
Certified surfers are expected to perform daring rescue missions in waters like these, with waves that can reach heights of 20 feet and wind speeds of up to 50 knots.
Whitaker and the 60 Minutes team wanted to climb aboard a 45-foot rescue boat to see how these surfmen train for one of the Coast Guard’s toughest assignments.
But before boarding the ship, the team had to test a drysuit, a waterproof suit that retains body heat and prevents hypothermia if the wearer falls into icy water.
On a cold February morning, Whitaker tested his suit for leaks. Accompanied by two coast guardsmen, he immersed himself in the icy waters of the Columbia River for 15 minutes.
“I had no protection on my hands. And I’ll tell you, my hands were freezing. But the drysuit kept my body relatively warm,” Whitaker told 60 Minutes Overtime.
Whitaker and the team received a safety briefing before leaving on the lifeboat. They were told to prepare for the possibility of a “rollover,” when a wave crashes into a boat and spins it 360 degrees on its axis.
As he drove the rescue boat into the inlet, lead instructor Eric Ceallaigh explained how the boat’s design prevents it from sinking if it capsizes.
A large buoyancy chamber and other compartments filled with air allow the boat to bounce back up if tipped upside down.
“Imagine putting a football in the bathtub. When you push it down, the laces always pop up,” Ceallaigh said.
“So if this boat gets submerged… it will force itself right back up where we can get ready for the next wave.”
Whitaker told 60 Minutes Overtime that to prevent him and photographer Dennis Dillon from being thrown into the sea during a rollover, they had to be locked into place at two points of contact. They were told to hold their breath until the boat righted itself again.
“The entire rollover usually takes eight to 12 seconds… we would have to hold our breath during that time,” Whitaker recalls.
“We would be wet and panting, but we would be safe.”
On the crashing waves, Ceallaigh and the other surfers-in-training screamed as they saw a wave coming towards them.
Ceallaigh accelerated and steered the boat to maneuver or even break through the waves coming from all directions.
One technique called “squaring up” involves pointing the ship’s bow at the crest of a large breaking wave and accelerating over it.
“Eventually you get right on top of the crest of this wave… you look up and all you see is the sky,” Whitaker explained.
“Once you get over the crest of the wave, you’re looking straight into the water. And you’re just being tossed and pushed around. And it really is the most incredible roller coaster you could ever imagine.”
Whitaker wondered how Ceallaigh could be so calm in such a chaotic environment and asked if he enjoyed it.
‘If you let me go, please… [a] rescue boat into the surf, I’m immediately in the best mood,” he told Whitaker.
“Full of endorphins. As happy as can be. All my problems disappear…I absolutely love it.”
The video above was produced by Will Croxton. It was edited by Sarah Shafer Prediger.
