Big Sur, United States - September 30, 2024

In a scene straight out of an action film, a 59-year-old woman from Utah was dramatically rescued by a CHP helicopter from the wilds of the Big Sur coastline on Sunday afternoon, after being reported missing following an early morning rock-hunting expedition.

The woman had checked into the Ragged Point Inn the previous night, but her plans for a serene morning exploring Willow Creek Beach at low tide took a perilous turn when she failed to return as expected. Her absence triggered a multi-agency search by the CHP's Coastal Division Air Operations, CHP Monterey, and the Monterey County Sheriff's Office.

The search operation was initially hampered by a thick marine fog enveloping Highway 1, delaying the dispatch of the H-70 helicopter from Paso Robles Municipal Airport. However, as the fog reluctantly lifted, the helicopter took flight just after 1 p.m., embarking on a mission that would soon become one of the day's most talked-about events along the California coast.

The breakthrough came when the woman's vehicle was spotted at a Highway 1 turnout north of Kirk Creek Campground. With this clue, the helicopter crew intensified their search over the rugged, untamed shoreline. It wasn't long before they located her, alone but unharmed, on a secluded, rocky beach south of the campground.

In a display of expert piloting, the helicopter touched down on a sliver of sand two hundred yards from her location. A flight officer then made his way to her, guiding the relieved woman back to the safety of the helicopter amidst the roar of the ocean.

CHP video footage captured the rescue, broadcasting the helicopter operator's voice as he coordinated the landing, "I’m going to go ahead and land right over here."

The woman, unscathed by her ordeal, was soon reunited with her vehicle where her husband and the Monterey County Sheriff's Office awaited, marking a joyful, if not slightly harrowing, conclusion to her coastal adventure.