Hang glider rescued after crashing into sea near Jenner

State parks lifeguards rescued a 68-year-old male hang glider who crashed into the ocean near Goat Rock on Tuesday afternoon.

The man, who was chilled from exposure to cold water but appeared uninjured, was transported by ambulance to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Santa Rosa at about 2 p.m., said Tim Murphy, a state parks lifeguard/peace officer.

Lifeguards did not get the man’s name, and a Bodega Bay Fire Protection District official declined to release his name, citing medical patient confidentiality law.

The man went airborne from the upper parking lot at Goat Rock Beach near Jenner, a common launch point for hang gliders and paragliders, Murphy said. His companion, another hang glider, saw the man descend quickly toward the water and then launched himself to see what happened.

He spotted the man on a rock about 200 yards south of Goat Rock and about 75 yards offshore from Blind Beach, then landed and flagged down a park ranger, Murphy said.

Lifeguard Aaron Pendergraft propelled a paddleboard through the surf to reach the man, who was still wearing a hang gliding harness, and attached him to the paddleboard. Murphy swam to them and assisted Pendergraft in guiding the paddleboard to shore.

Monte Rio firefighters met them on the beach, where the man was given dry clothes and a blanket, Murphy said. He was wheeled to the south parking lot at Goat Rock, where an ambulance picked him up. The man’s hang glider wing washed up on the beach.

The rescue was a bit unusual but went well, Murphy said. Coast Guard and CalFire units also responded.

You can reach Staff Writer Guy Kovner at 521-5457 or guy.kovner@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter ?@guykovner.