Oceanside, CA–Oceanside firefighters early Saturday morning rescued a man trapped in large boulders at the south end at an Oceanside beach, authorities said.
Firefighters responded to a 2:45 a.m. report of a man in his 40s stuck in the rocks at Buccaneer Beach, Oceanside Fire Battalion Chief Jessamyn Specht said.
A bystander heard someone yelling for help for several minutes and eventually was able to locate the man. He had slipped and fell into a gap in the boulders and was stuck. The bystander attempted to assist the man for an unknown period of time before 911 was called.
With the tide coming in, time was of the essence as crews worked to release the victim from the rocks. Waves started to crash over the rescuers and the victim became submerged in water. Oceanside police were able to provide a scuba tank and regulator to allow the victim to breathe with the incoming waves. The man lost consciousness and was unable to maintain the scuba regulator in his mouth. Rescue crews were able to secure webbing around the man and pull him out.
Once out of the rocks, paramedics were able to revive the man and transported him to Scripps La Jolla for evaluation.
