EXCLUSIVE: Lady rescued from San Francisco cliff shares survival story, thanks first responders

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — It was a dramatic rescue that has now been considered over 1,000,000 occasions and performed throughout the nation – a girl sporting a bikini holding on for pricey life on the aspect of a San Francisco cliff. That lady is Maxime Rancourt.

“I was just going to go in the water a little bit. To have a cold plunge. Which I did for a moment. I was looking at the waves and said they are so beautiful. I’m a good swimmer but I don’t usually swim there,” stated Rancourt.

Seconds later, Maxime stated a violent present pulled her in deeper.

“The current took me away from the beach. Almost 50 meters,” stated Rancourt. “All of a sudden, I was pulled away and then I wasn’t very far yet. I thought I could still go in the water, but the water was so intense. It was the waves like this. I was stuck in the middle.”

Maxime discovered herself caught within the legendary Kelly’s Cove. The seashore simply south of the Cliff House is thought for its sturdy currents and high-energy surf break. With poor visibility and her glasses on shore, Maxime Rancourt stated she tried to swim to the primary rock she might see.

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“The current was extreme. I jumped and grabbed the rock to stay there, and the water was still coming at me,” stated Rancourt. “Everything went so fast. I was on the rock and started climbing from left to right and then I realized that it wasn’t a good idea, but it was the idea to save myself in the moment.”

The scrapes all through her physique inform a narrative of survival and of at the least half-hour of rocks piercing via her pores and skin as she held on to the aspect of the cliff hoping somebody would see her. Minutes later, a stranger that she now calls one in every of her angels noticed her and known as 911.

“He saw me and he said, ‘Hey!’ I didn’t have my glasses, and I could see a little bit, and he was trying to come closer, and he went down a little bit and was asking me if I was okay,” stated Rancourt.

“What do you want to say to that person who called 911?” ABC7 Eyewitness News reporter Luz Pena requested.

“I want to say- thank you so much. Because I now have a future because of this person. I thought about it. My destiny was gone in one minute,” stated Rancourt.

About 5 minutes later, the San Francisco Fire Department coastal rescue crew received to her.

In the center of our interview, we requested that rescue unit to shock Maxime.

“I wasn’t expecting that. I wanted to say thank you and say I’m alive and I see all the news about me,” stated Rancourt. “Thank you for saving my life.”

Our information crew discovered that on common, 32 folks annually want rescuing from cliffs per SFFD information. Maxime is now a kind of profitable rescues.

“As you look at here you see these three rocks. It creates somewhat of a turbulent area, almost like a toilet bowl situation where the waves bounce off and it makes it really challenging to surf but, in her case, swim,” stated Harry Higgins, Lieutenant for the SF Fire Department hearth station 14.

Maxime could not meet the precise paramedics and firefighters who have been there on Wednesday. Now, she is planning to return to the fireplace station to take treats to the rescue crew calling all of them her angels.

“I had a profound spiritual experience after that. I was so grateful to be alive. I could have died,” stated Rancourt. “I’m just lucky, and I thank God.”

Maxime Rancourt shouldn’t be planning to get into that water anytime quickly.