# Woman swept to sea during proposal
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [December 6, 2008, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959 "2008-12-06T04:56:39Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959/1 "2008-12-06T04:56:39Z")
I know that bad things happen to people every day, and that we’re supposed to be inured to it all, but you really gotta feel sorry for [this poor bastard](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081204/ap_on_re_us/proposal_death). Remember when that girl in Minneapolis found her dog’s head on her doorstep? Me and a few Internet buddies got together and sent her a condolence card. I kinda feel like doing the same thing here. Jeez—this sucks. And you can’t even get mad because there’s nobody to blame. ☹
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### Author:  [@JollyGoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JollyGoon)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959/2 "2008-12-06T05:04:18Z")
Man that sucks… How do we do the card thing?
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### Author:  [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959/3 "2008-12-06T05:10:50Z")
Well, with the girl in Minneapolis, I just sent PM’s to few buddies on another board and asked if they wanted their name on the card. Then I got the card, and just added them all on with a notation explaining who we were.
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959/4 "2008-12-06T05:17:24Z")
> [@Washoe](#):
>
> Remember when that girl in Minneapolis found her dog’s head on her doorstep? (
No.
How did that come to pass?
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### Author:  [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959/5 "2008-12-06T05:22:37Z")
OK, I have a 100% confirmed address and telephone number from zabasearch. Who wants in?
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959/6 "2008-12-06T05:27:15Z")
I’ll add my name.
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### Author:  [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959/7 "2008-12-06T05:30:04Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> No.
> How did that come to pass?
I’m looking for the thread, but I can’t find it. Give me a minute. It’s so stupid that I have to wait 5 minutes even if I don’t get a hit. Grrr…
[Here ya go](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=412493). I was looking for “Minneapolis dog butcher,” not “Minnesota dog butcher.” Again, grrr…
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### Author:  [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959/8 "2008-12-06T05:49:56Z")
Not to be rude but how does one get swept to sea by a 3 foot high wave? Even though the article states the woman is very small, that’s still . . . a very small wave. Maybe she couldn’t swim or something, in which case, taking her to the ocean to propose probably wasn’t the best idea.
Still, gotta feel bad for the families involved.
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### Author:  [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959/9 "2008-12-06T05:54:42Z")
From [here](http://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/beaches.htm).
> [@](#):
>
> **Sneaker Waves**
>
> Visitors to Point Reyes beaches are advised to be aware of sneaker waves. A sneaker wave is an unexpectedly large wave, higher, stronger and reaching farther up the beach to levels far beyond where the normal waves reach. Beach goers, particularly children, can quickly be caught in the rip current and pulled out to deep water. If the person can not escape the current, they may drown. This has occurred numerous times at Point Reyes Beaches. Sneaker waves also have the ability to toss around large driftwood logs that may fall on a person, injuring or even killing them.
> Even though the ocean may appear calm, there is still the potential for sneaker waves. Larger waves, moving fast, pick up smaller waves and carry them toward the beach. Some people erroneously think that sneaker waves can be predicted, i.e., every fourth or fifth wave, but in truth they are unpredictable. They can occur at any time, day or night, during incoming and outgoing tides, during storms and during sunny calm weather.
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### Author:  [@JollyGoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JollyGoon)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959/10 "2008-12-06T06:26:11Z")
> [@Washoe](#):
>
> OK, I have a 100% confirmed address and telephone number from zabasearch. Who wants in?
I’ll add my name, too. Imagine how the poor guy feels.
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### Author:  [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959/11 "2008-12-06T09:03:08Z")
I’ll add mine too. How do I do it?
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### Author:  [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959/12 "2008-12-06T09:39:17Z")
PM me your real name if you want to use it, otherwise I’ll just sign it ‘Justin Credible’.
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### Author:  [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959/13 "2008-12-06T18:42:16Z")
> [@Washoe](#):
>
> OK, I have a 100% confirmed address and telephone number from zabasearch. Who wants in?
You serious? If I’d been recently bereaved the last thing I’d want is to receive a card from a bunch of cyberstalkers. :eek:
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### Author:  [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959/14 "2008-12-06T20:01:37Z")
Dear stranger,
Sorry about your dead fiance.
Sincerely,
Several strangers
Yeah, I’m sure that will pick his spirits right up.
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### Author:  [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959/15 "2008-12-06T20:15:52Z")
> [@Colophon](#):
>
> You serious? If I’d been recently bereaved the last thing I’d want is to receive a card from a bunch of cyberstalkers. :eek:
We’ll wait an appropriate amount of time.
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### Author:  [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959/16 "2008-12-06T20:39:57Z")
I recall something very similar happening on the same coastline (Oregon’s) about 10-15 years ago. Woman and man (were either engaged or married), a huge wave came in when he was taking her picture, took her out, he jumped in to save her, they managed to touch fingertips a few times, the current separated them, he made it back, she didn’t. The wave was much bigger than this one apparently was.
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### Author:  [@supergoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supergoose)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959/17 "2008-12-06T21:46:52Z")
I wouldn’t use dopernames, as many are jokes and could be taken as mocking.
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### Author:  [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959/18 "2008-12-06T21:55:57Z")
I didn’t think of that. Some people have already PM’ed me with their real names, and for the ones who don’t, I’ll put their names in quotes and explain the source.
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### Author:  [@CAT\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CAT_1)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959/19 "2008-12-06T21:58:23Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#):
>
> I recall something very similar happening on the same coastline (Oregon’s) about 10-15 years ago. Woman and man (were either engaged or married), a huge wave came in when he was taking her picture, took her out, he jumped in to save her, they managed to touch fingertips a few times, the current separated them, he made it back, she didn’t. The wave was much bigger than this one apparently was.
That is also the same beach where a young woman supposedly pushed her boyfriend off a cliff a few years back. He was never found(I believe) and she is in jail. I can’t find the story online, but remember it was on court tv for months.
It seems like a dangerous place.
I feel bad for the them, but probably wouldn’t have chanced it myself, unless I was an expert swimmer.
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### Author:  [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-swept-to-sea-during-proposal/475959/20 "2008-12-06T22:18:58Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#):
>
> Not to be rude but how does one get swept to sea by a 3 foot high wave? Even though the article states the woman is very small, that’s still . . . a very small wave. Maybe she couldn’t swim or something, in which case, taking her to the ocean to propose probably wasn’t the best idea.
>
> Still, gotta feel bad for the families involved.
From a completely informal survey of the diverse group of people I work with swimming is not a skill commonly taught in many places around the world, especially less developed countries.
The woman in question was apparently tiny, from the Phillipines, and I imagine the water is pretty cold off the coast of Oregon in early December. Hypothermia can disable and eventually kill even an expert swimmer.
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