LONG BEACH PENINSULA — A frantic search for a swimmer off Long Beach on the fourth of July ended in relief, with the 14-year-old girl safely reunited with family.

Such moments of awe and anxiety punctuated the 2022 4th of July festivities along the Long Beach Peninsula, where thousands descended upon the 28-mile strip for a weekend of Independence Day fun. 

Surf emergency spurs significant response

Much of the worry centered around a child who was reportedly struggling in the Long Beach surf Monday evening, generating an emergency response from several agencies just as 4th of July celebrations were reaching a climax along Bolstad Boulevard in Long Beach. Fortunately, the child, later identified as a 14-year-old female, had safely emerged from the surf before emergency personal arrived, officials said. 

The emergency call started around 9 p.m. Monday, July 4, generating a full-scale search response from rescue personnel to the the surf just north of Bolstad beach approach in Long Beach. However, with thousands of bystanders on the beach at the time, it wasn’t immediately clear to emergency personnel that the girl had safely exited the water.

By 9:15 p.m. a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter — followed shortly later by a motor lifeboat — joined other assets on the scene, including the Surf Rescue team, Long Beach police and fire departments, and Washington State Parks.

A small army and navy of searchers continued to comb the waters off Long Beach Monday night before moving south to scan the Seaview approach around 9:45 p.m., when officials began to suspect that the emergency call was likely a false alarm.

“She was recovered and on shore before they could get to her position,” an official with the Coast Guard told the Observer early Tuesday morning, after declaring the search was officially over.