A kite surfer got caught in the swift currents beneath the Golden Gate Bridge Monday afternoon, prompting a flurry of 9-1-1 calls and a rapid marine rescue by San Francisco firefighters. The San Francisco Fire Department received the calls around 4:15 p.m. reporting a kite or windsurfer in distress under the span, and crews launched both a marine and ground-based response within minutes.
Rescue Boat 35, Rescue Boat 35A, and Rescue Watercraft 1 all made contact with the person, according to a post from San Francisco Fire Department Media
on X. Firefighters determined the rider had no medical issue but could not continue without help, so personnel assisted the person onto Rescue Boat 35, where an onboard paramedic performed an evaluation before the boat brought them to shore. The person declined further medical care, the department said.
A Familiar Stretch of Water for SFFD Crews
A Familiar Stretch of Water for SFFD Crews Monday's rescue is far from an isolated incident along this stretch of the Bay. Just over a month earlier, on September 5, SFFD's Rescue Boat 35 and other fire watercraft responded to three kitesurfers reported in distress east of the Golden Gate Bridge, pulling one aboard the boat while shadowing a second rider back toward shore, according to SFGATE. A separate coordinated rescue involving an SFPD drone has also been reported.
The pattern extends beyond kitesurfers. Four days before Monday's rescue, SFFD and the SFPD Marine Unit deployed boats and a drone to pull an overturned kayaker from strong currents swirling beneath a Bay Bridge column near the Ferry Building, the San Francisco Police Department reported — an incident Hoodline covered in a kayaker rescue near the Bay Bridge.
Why the Golden Gate Channel Turns Dangerous So Fast
The physics of the Golden Gate help explain why board-sailors keep ending up stranded in the same patch of water. When thermal winds suddenly drop or gear fails, even experienced riders can be swept past the piers into open ocean swells.
Crissy Field East Beach in the Presidio, directly east of the bridge, is a premier board-sailing launch site.
A Busy Afternoon for SFFD's Marine Division
Monday's rescue capped an especially active stretch for the department's water units. Just over an hour before the Golden Gate call came in, SFFD's Bay Rescue team had responded before 3 p.m. to a separate emergency at Mile Rock Beach to retrieve someone stranded on a rocky cliffside, per the department's own account of the day.
SFFD's marine operations run out of Fireboat Station No. 35 at Pier 22½ on the Embarcadero, a floating facility built on a 14,837-square-foot steel float, according to San Francisco Public Works. Moved to Pier 22½ in December 2020, the facility can rise and fall with tides and projected sea-level rise, giving Rescue Boat 35 and the rest of the marine fleet a base for rapid, round-the-clock launches.
Federal Safety Guidance for Bay Watercraft
Following Monday's rescue, the fire department advised Bay users to know their surroundings, stay aware of tidal flows, carry a means of communication, and wear a life preserver or life jacket.
