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Two rescued after capsizing near beach in Volcano Bay

Google Earth satellite imagery July 2023
The Coast Guard couldn’t initially reach the women who were stranded on a beach in Volcano Bay, seen here in satellite imagery from July 2023. Eventually, a crew landed and transported them to emergency medical services.

Two women were rescued from a beach in Volcano Bay near Unalaska Tuesday morning.

They had capsized their inflatable skiff while heading to shore after disembarking from a larger 22-foot sea dory, according to U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Commander Eddie Kalankiewicz.

They swam to shore and waited for help. Neither of them had radios.

The Coast Guard couldn’t reach them by helicopter initially because of bad weather. There has been very thick, low-hanging fog around the island this morning. Eventually, a crew landed and transported the women to emergency medical services.

A third individual was involved and stayed on the dory while the women headed into shore. The person was still on the vessel this morning around 11 a.m. and may head back to port soon, Kalankiewicz said.

Hailing from Southwest Washington, Maggie moved to Unalaska in 2019. She's dabbled in independent print journalism in Oregon and completed her Master of Arts in English Studies at Western Washington University — where she also taught Rhetoric and Composition courses.