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Columbia river swimmer says he’ll plan ahead next time

By Alex Bruell, The Daily News
Published: August 12, 2020, 8:45am

LONGVIEW — The Longview man who swam across the Columbia River on Sunday in Kalama says he finished the 2,500-foot crossing without trouble. But he warned others from trying his feat — and said next time, he’ll plan ahead.

While he hadn’t planned to make the treacherous swim Sunday 22-year-old Rowan Seals said the timing, weather, and a dare lined up just right.

“I’ve talked about it for years, joking with my friends,” Seals said. “I’m a really good swimmer, and I’ve always said that’s something I’d like to do.”

Seals says he made it safely across to Sandy Island on the Oregon shore and hitched a ride back to the Kalama marina with a jet skier. However, another jet skier called 911 after losing sight of him in the water, leading to a dispatching of first responders to the area.

Seals said he was never in trouble or worried about his safety. He was a little sore on Monday, but that was it. But he does wish the stunt didn’t scare people as much as it did, and he said he’ll take a few precautions to put people at ease the next time.

He also said others shouldn’t try to replicate his feat.

Seals said he loves swimming and has been around water since he was little, even though he doesn’t have competitive aquatic experience. He is also CPR certified.

He was hanging out with friends near the McMenamins Ahles Point Cabin Sunday when a buddy asked him if the area would be good for his oft-mentioned journey across the river.

His friends overheard the conversation, and someone told him “you couldn’t do that.”

The weather was nice, the channel was clear, and Seals decided to prove that friend wrong.

“There wasn’t a whole lot of planning into it, which there probably should have been,” Seals said.

The friends had met another group at the beach who had a boat, and the plan was to use it to pick Seals up if he signaled he was too tired to return after reaching Sandy Island.

He took off toward the island, and though it was windy, the 30-minute swim wasn’t bad, Seals said. The currents were easy until he got about halfway out, at which point he had to swim at an angle to avoid being pulled downriver. He kept his eyes out for bigger ships in the channel but the waterway was open during his expedition, he said.

A jet skier met Seals after he’d made it about a quarter of the way across. Though Seals assured him he was fine, the concerned skier asked if he could take Seals back to shore. Seals declined, though he said he wouldn’t turn down a ride back once he got to the island.

The concerned skier headed back to shore in Kalama. He called 911 after bystanders at shore lost sight of Seals. (Seals said the skier told him he was the one who called 911.)

Those emergency crews started arriving as Seals was halfway through the crossing, Seals said: “I realized I was probably going to get in some trouble.”

Seals finished his way to Sandy Island, where he met another group of jet skiers. One of them let him hitch a ride back to the Kalama shore, where he gave first responders his name and let them know he was OK.

He said he could have swam back without the lift, though he’d have needed to rest for a bit.

Seals said he’d like to pull off another ambitious swim, but next time, he’ll let more people know about his plan and try to get someone to follow him in a boat as a safety measure.

“I think having the boat … would make everyone feel more comfortable, at ease,” Seals said.

The Columbia River is a fast-moving waterway that can be deceptively dangerous. It drains an area the size of France, and the current speeds up at Kalama because the channel is somewhat restricted there.

Cowlitz County sheriff’s marine training deputy Justin Taylor said that the river’s size, current and temperature all contribute to the risk for those out on the water.

“The river is a lot wider than it looks,” Taylor said, and when people try to swim across it, “most of the time, they fail.”

“Even though it’s 90 degrees out, the water is around 50 to 58 degrees,” Taylor said. “It’s definitely not a warm river. So hypothermia is definitely a concern. You’ve got ships coming through the channel. Somebody trying to swim across … they’re not going to be seen by a very large tugboat.”

Large debris also floats in the river, which can be hazardous to boaters and swimmers, Taylor said.

Regardless of skill level, Taylor and other emergency responders recommend these precautions for those on the water:

• Learn to swim, and use a life jacket or other flotation device in the open water or on a watercraft.

• Learn CPR if you are an adult or older child.

• Remember that alcohol and other drugs increase the risk of drowning while swimming or boating.

• Be aware of your physical limits and abilities and respect dangerous waters.

• Remember that waters can be cold even on a sunny day, and beware of strong currents in rivers.

• Keep constant and close watch of children who are in the water.

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