A golden retriever caught in a swift current off Nantucket's Codfish Park was pulled to safety Wednesday afternoon after a rapid-fire chain of phone calls linked police, harbormaster lifeguards, and local fishers. Bill Tolstead and his crew interrupted their fishing trip to help. Dispatch got the call at about 12:50 p.m. reporting a dog in trouble in the water, setting off a coordinated scramble across the island's maritime community, according to NBC 10 News (WJAR).
The response included a police crew searching for the dog and a Harbormaster’s Office team with a kayak, rescue board, two lifeguards, and retrieval gear, according to the Nantucket Harbormaster's Office and WJAR.
A Chain of Calls Brings in the Fishing Fleet
With the dog still in open water, the harbormaster reached out to Bob DaCosta for help rounding up nearby fishers. DaCosta then reached Corey Gamel, who in turn contacted fellow captain Bill Tolstead. Tolstead and his crew interrupted their fishing trip to join the search, and people on the beach helped direct the boat toward the spot where the dog was swimming, as reported by NBC 10 News (WJAR).
The fishing crew brought the golden retriever aboard and returned it to shore, WJAR reported. The Harbormaster’s Office credited communication and cooperation among responders and members of the island’s maritime community, and thanked those who helped.
Why Codfish Park Is So Exposed to the Water
Codfish Park sits in the village of Siasconset on Nantucket's eastern shore, a low-lying historic neighborhood positioned directly at beach level that leaves its coastline fully exposed to Atlantic Ocean currents, according to the Nantucket Preservation Trust. The neighborhood traces its roots back to the historic October Gale of 1841, when it was settled as a fishing village that has since evolved over nearly two centuries into a preserved historic district.
Coastal monitoring data published by the Town of Nantucket describes Codfish Park's shoreline as stable. The rescue also came as the National Weather Service had a Small Craft Advisory in effect for Nantucket Sound and surrounding waters through Wednesday, citing southwest winds up to 25 knots and wave heights up to 3 feet.
Local Rules and a Long Tradition of Water Rescues
Under Town of Nantucket beach regulations, dogs must be kept leashed in public areas and beaches year-round, though dogs are allowed on designated lifeguard beaches before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m. in season. The Nantucket Lifeguard Program, run out of the harbormaster's office, fields 52 seasonal lifeguards along with specialized gear including ATVs with rescue trailers, rescue boards, and a 23-foot amphibious rescue vessel, according to the United States Lifesaving Association.
Nearby civilian boats joined the response to the dog rescue. Regional U.S. Coast Guard stations in Chatham and Woods Hole can take 30 to 60 minutes to reach Osterville waters, as Hoodline previously reported. Just days earlier, the Coast Guard searched for a plane with six people aboard.
Nantucket’s Lifeguard Coverage and Rescue Context
The Town of Nantucket identifies the Harbormaster as its primary source for inshore search and rescue and says the division guards 10 beaches from the end of June through Labor Day. The cited town information does not give a typical seasonal water-rescue tally or compare rescues with other calls for assistance.
As general context—not a characterization of the current in this rescue—the United States Lifesaving Association says rip currents cause more than 100 deaths each year in the United States and account for more than 80% of rescues performed by surf-beach lifeguards.
The island has an established habit of recognizing this kind of teamwork. In September, the Egan Maritime Institute and Nantucket Cottage Hospital presented the annual Lifesaving Award to Raymond DeCosta and Carl Bendiksen for their June harbor rescue, while Dan Salon received a separate award for a south-shore surf rescue. Lifeguards, Harbormaster crew, Coast Guard members, and first responders were also formally recognized. The harbormaster's office specifically thanked Bob DaCosta, Corey Gamel, Bill Tolstead, and everyone else involved for helping bring the dog safely back to shore.
