A man had to be rescued by a California Highway Patrol helicopter from San Francisco’s Marshall’s Beach on Tuesday after being stranded by the tide.
Emergency crews from the CHP and San Francisco Fire Department began the rescue operation around 6:30 p.m. The American Park Police also arrived on the scene. The public was asked to avoid the area around the beach, which is just west of the Golden Gate Bridge.
An SFFD helicopter technician was lowered to the beach by a California Highway Patrol helicopter around 6:50 p.m., according to a post from SFFD on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The man had become ill while at the beach, preventing him from accessing the trail before the tide came in, said SFFD spokesman Capt. Justin Schorr.
A boat rescue and a rope rescue were considered, but the person’s illness made that too difficult. The CHP helicopter was about 11 minutes away, close enough to make this the best option, Schorr said.
The man was hospitalized with moderate illness after being stabilized on the beach by SFFD paramedics. Video shows the man being lowered from the helicopter to the area above the beach where paramedics were waiting.
The secluded beach is reached by a half-mile trail that is considered “strenuous” by the Golden Gate Park Conservancy.
Schorr advised beachgoers to always be aware of their surroundings, not to turn their backs on the ocean and to be aware that conditions can change quickly.
