PACIFICA, CA — A Pacifica fisherwoman is recovering in the hospital after a sneaker wave swept her into the ocean Tuesday morning, according to a report by KTVU, just days after the closure of the Pacifica Municipal Pier pushed many anglers back onto local beaches.
Bae Cadotte, a longtime Pacifica resident and fisherwoman, spent about seven minutes in the water before fellow fishermen pulled her to safety.
Cadotte had been fishing from the beach, a practice she told KTVU became more common after the city closed the Pacifica Municipal Pier earlier this month due to major structural damage.
"I knew at that moment it was going to take me," Cadotte told KTVU. "It took me and swallowed me up very easily."
Cadotte said she was standing in ankle-deep water when a powerful sneaker wave dragged her roughly 30 feet offshore.
A nearby fisherman who witnessed the incident helped lead the rescue effort. Several anglers worked together to pull Cadotte back to shore using a rope.
Emergency responders arrived within minutes. Cadotte said she suffered what she described as ocean whiplas and is wearing a sling, but scans found no major internal injuries, KTVU reported.
The incident comes less than two weeks after Pacifica closed its municipal pier after crews discovered cracking, separation and displacement near the structure's abutment. The damage also led to the demolition of the Chit Chat Café, a longtime fixture on the pier.
On Monday, the day before the incident, local officials and community members called for federal funding to help repair the damaged pier and strengthen coastal infrastructure.
Read the full story at KTVU.
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Pacifica, CA Patch
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