Daring rescue saves 2 men

Scott Ferris was on his back deck with his wife and 8-year-old son, enjoying the sunshine Wednesday afternoon, when he thought he heard faint voices yelling out for help out on Totten Inlet.

"I just heard some shouts, saw a lot of junk out on the water and two heads," said Ferris, who lives on Steamboat Island Point.

A 10-foot skiff carrying two men who were out harvesting geoducks had just sunk about 5:20 p.m., said Griffin Fire District 13 Deputy Chief Chuck Hennigan. Both suffered hypothermia after spending 40 minutes in the cold water wearing flotation devices, Hennigan said, but were saved by the quick actions of Ferris — who sprang into action on his kayak — and two commercial fishermen on a boat belonging to Taylor Shellfish.

Ferris rescued one of the men; the commercial fishermen rescued the other, Hennigan said. Both men were taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital, he said.

Taylor Shellfish's Totten Farm manager, Russ Walker, identified the two commercial fishermen who saved the second man as Lief Cofield and Jose Torres.

Story of a rescue

Ferris said that after hearing the yells for help, he looked out with his binoculars, saw two heads bobbing above the choppy waters and called 9-1-1. But he didn't wait for Griffin Fire to arrive; he grabbed his kayak and went out to try to make a rescue himself.

"I figured I had a chance to get out there faster than anybody else," he said.

Ferris' wife, Gayle, said her husband "didn't hesitate at all" when he grabbed his kayak, wheeled it out to Totten Inlet and set out on the water. Ferris said the man he saved was about a quarter-mile from the shore.

He said the man held to the back of his kayak as he paddled back toward shore. Ferris said his only fear was that the man's weight might capsize him.

The man was turning "a little blue," and his speech was slurred, but "he kept saying 'help,' " Ferris said. The man also expressed concern for his buddy, Ferris added.

"He was having a hard time hanging on by the time I got to the beach," he said.

Ferris, 38, a software writer, said he is an experienced kayaker, but he had never had to go out on rough water to save a person before.

'Bless his heart'

After Ferris came ashore, Griffin Fire Lt. Skip Nichols told an exhausted Ferris that his actions saved the man's life.

"He just went out on a kayak and rescued that kid, bless his heart," Nichols said.

Ferris said he thinks anyone would have done the same.

Hennigan said others who heard the men screaming and called 9-1-1 deserve a lot of credit for the rescue.

A Coast Guard helicopter and a boat with the Thurston County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to participate in the rescue, but by the time they arrived, Ferris and the Taylor Shellfish boat had already saved the two men.

46 degrees

Hennigan estimated the temperature on Totten Inlet at about 46 degrees.

U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Scott Brazier said the two men were lucky to be wearing flotation devices because they help keep vital organs above the water line to diminish the onset of hypothermia.

Walker said Taylor Shellfish trains fishermen to save people who are adrift.

Brazier said the men reported that their work skiff was having engine problems, and because of the high winds, the boat was taking on water that caused it to sink.

Hennigan said both men are expected to make a full recovery. Both were fortunate to be wearing flotation devices and rain gear that gave them some protection from the cold water, Hennigan said. He declined to release their names or ages Wednesday night.

Ferris said he was tired after the afternoon rescue.

"I'm going to go take a nap," he said.

Jeremy Pawloski covers public safety for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5465 or jpawloski@theolympian.com.