U.S. Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Washington State Park personnel rescued 12 kayakers in distress between Patos Island and Sucia Island Washington, Aug. 14, 2025. Half of the kaykers were minors and all rescued were brought to Orcas Island. The Coast Guard blurred the faces of minors for privacy. (Steven Strohmaier/U.S. Coast Guard)
(Tribune News Service) — The U.S. Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Washington State Park employees pulled off a maritime rescue on Thursday after 12 kayakers found themselves in treacherous waters in the San Juan Islands in Washington.
A group of six children and six adults were kayaking across a channel between Sucia and Patos islands around 1:50 p.m. when they called for help over their marine radio, the Coast Guard said in a statement.
Coast Guard spokesperson Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier told The Oregonian/OregonLive that the kayakers were caught in a strong current and headwinds that kept them from paddling out of the waterway between the islands.
In response, the Coast Guard said they sent a 29-foot rescue boat from their station in Bellingham. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police also sent a rescue ship, and a Washington State Parks vessel that was patrolling the area joined in the rescue effort, officials said.
The rescuers brought all the kayakers to shore at Orcas Island without injuries, officials said.
Capt. Micahel Hunt, Coast Guard deputy commander, urged boaters to keep a marine radio with them while out on the water.
“A VHF marine radio is a mariner’s lifeline when there is no cell phone service,” Hunt said. “It proved its worth by helping save lives in the San Juan Islands.”
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