Update: Four trapped by high tide near viewpoint at Point Defiance Park rescued
Update:
Tacoma Fire Department crews rescued hikers who were trapped on the cliff side due to high tide, the department posted on X at 7:38 p.m. Tuesday.
“Fireboat Destiny & Tech Rescue teams responded to reach the hikers from all angles,” the post said. “TFD rescued the hikers & hikers are on the Fireboat.”
No one has been reported injured, fire department spokesperson Chelsea Shepherd wrote in a text message. The hikers on the boat are headed to the dock “to get checked out by EMS...just to be safe,” she wrote.
Initial post:
A technical rescue is underway after four people were trapped by high tide near a viewpoint along Five Mile Drive at Point Defiance Park.
“Some folks were caught on the beach when the tide came in, and it’s sounding like they’ve climbed to safety. They’re just stuck there now,” Tacoma Fire Department spokesperson Chelsea Shepherd told The News Tribune.
The fire department received a call at 4:36 p.m. and sent both ground crews and a fireboat to the area. The four people were near Dalco Passage Viewpoint and walking on the beach below the cliffs when they were trapped by the high tide, Shepherd told The News Tribune.
“The tide comes in pretty fast, and it comes all the way up to the cliff,” she said.
Shepherd said that a technical rescue can take hours and involve ropes, pulleys and other assists. The boat is assisting from the water side and ground crews on Five Mile Drive might either rappel down the cliff or assist with pulling the four people up, she said. The rescue is ongoing.
This story was originally published July 22, 2025 at 6:10 PM.
