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Video duration: 5 min
United States: immersion in the heart of the “Cemetery of the Pacific”
United States: immersion in the heart of the “Cemetery of the Pacific”
(franceinfo)
To the north of the American west coast, ships patrol one of the most dangerous areas on the planet: it is called “the cemetery of the Pacific”. Immersion.
The place bears the terrible name “Cemetery of the Pacific”. A place so dangerous that in two centuries, more than 2,000 boats have sunk along the steep cliffs, and at least 700 sailors have lost their lives. There, in some of the most difficult conditions in the world, the coastguards find a formidable training ground. Faced with waves that can reach 10 meters high, the best officers come to learn how to intervene and rescue victims, sometimes at the risk of their lives.
Terrible conditions
Little visibility, complicated waves: these are conditions that the recruits came for. “The worse the weather, the better: you will have to be more technical when driving”, testifies Forrest Davidson, a student who came to learn the trade. In groups of three and for five hours, the recruits put themselves in real rescue conditions. “It’s complicated, but also exciting to surpass your limits”explains one of them.
