The crew of the King County Water Taxi Sally Fox saw the person on the Seacrest Dock in West Seattle as they were preparing to finish their trip across Elliott Bay on March 16.

As they boarded passengers for the late morning trip back to downtown Seattle, Deckhand Zack Klaja noticed a person standing on the opposite side of the guardrail at the dock.

Klaja made Captain GW Rogers aware that something was out of the norm. “When you’re the deckhand that’s grabbing the first line you have a commanding view of the dock and this person was not where a typical passenger would stand to board.”  

“Zack called me on the radio and asked, ‘are you seeing what I’m seeing?’” Rogers said.

The ship unloaded and loaded passengers and was preparing for the trip back to downtown Seattle, but Deckhand Nick White said something was out of the norm. “The person was doing things that were unsafe—not in a threatening way, but out of the norm.”

All of these signals put the crew on high alert

Deckhand White said Captain Rogers told the crew “Let’s get ready for a man overboard.”

Rogers said the person’s body language “was enough for us to be prepared.”

As they were preparing to leave the dock, Rogers told passengers there would be a delay as they kept an eye on the situation and that they might need to go back to the dock.

The crew also prepared one of the ship’s life rings as well as the on-board rescue suit, with Klaja prepared to put these items to use if needed.

And they were needed.

As the ship left the dock, Rogers said he saw the person leave the dock and go into the water. When that occurred the crew reacted immediately, with Rogers reversing the throttle and maneuvering the ship back to the dock.

“Since it was on the side of the boat he was responsible for, Zack was the ‘designated rescuer’ and he was inside of the suit–which is like a space suit—in under 30 seconds,” Rogers said.

In the suit, Klaja, went into Elliott Bay and started to assist the person in distress. Divers swimming near the dock quickly joined him in helping the person out of the water and getting the person comfortable until first responders arrived.

Rogers said the moment: the water taxi crew and the divers that assisted with the rescue is something that will stick with him. “This person was in obvious distress, and everyone, the divers and Zack all had their hands on him. The outpouring of support made me feel good about the people I work with and the people we’re surrounded by.”   

The crew’s regular training and practice to assist individuals in the water allowed for a quick response.

“We do this day in and day out and there is a standard methodology in these situations,” said White. “But time compresses as well. Things had to be done in exact order for the rescue.”

Both White and Klaja praised the boat handling skills of Captain Rogers.

“Honestly, we were on our way back in (to the dock) before the person hit the water,” White said. “That was due to GW’s skills.”

Rogers said the skills of the crew—White and Klaja on the ship, along with Deckhand Mike Smyth, who was working on Seacrest Dock—made a very challenging situation seem like second nature.

“There wasn’t any hesitation on anyone’s part,” said Rogers. “From Zack’s saying ‘this is out of the ordinary,’ to the end when we were talking to firemen, the team handled it with professionalism and authority.”

Once first responders were able to provide assistance, the crew of the Sally Fox completed their trip to downtown.

This was not the first time that Captain Rogers was involved in a water rescue—he was part of the crew that was recognized for assisting boaters whose boat capsized in 2021. Rogers said the response in both cases was the same, to ensure that people who needed assistance were safe.  

All three said the regular training means they’re always ready to help, but providing comfort to person who was in obvious distress made this rescue unique.

“I have worked for the Water Taxi for 13 years, and I can say without reservation, this is the most exception group of people I’ve worked with,” Rogers said. “and one of the reasons is because they have enormous hearts. They take their role as the provider of service to the public first and foremost over anything else.

“That’s what makes them so exceptional.”