One after another, wet-suited, harnessed men in helmets jump into the water between the jetties at Warm Waters and are pulled out to sea by the current. Moments later they are “rescued” by helicopter and taken to safety on the beach. The helicopter coming in slow and low stirs up sand and spray and attracts a crowd of people some on walks and others just stop on their way by.
Today it’s only training. The San Diego Fire Department is one day into their annual three-day swift water rescue training in front of the Power Station. “There is not a lot of swift water in San Diego,” said Jim Gilcrist, Air Ops Chief for the San Diego Fire Department. “But it doesn’t take much rain for some of the canyons (especially around Mission Valley) to get extremely dangerous and our crews need to train for it. Through the graciousness of the Power station we are able to use this area.”
The show continues through Thursday when the tide is on the way out and the water is flowing “swiftly.”
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