Cape Disappointment, the largest search and rescue station in the Northwest, sits at the mouth of the Columbia River. This area is regarded as one of the most difficult river bars to navigate in the world. With a combination of strong outgoing tides and large incoming swells, surf conditions can exist in and around the bar entrance producing waves that reach 30 feet in height. In order to combat these conditions, the unit has five search and rescue boats all designed for operations in heavy surf; each boat is capable of re-righting itself after rolling over in breaking swells.
