Dartmouth student swept away by wave at Cape Flattery

Joshua Monette

Joshua Monette

NEAH BAY — A man who went missing after being swept away by a wave at Cape Flattery has been identified as Joshua L. Monette, a promising 2015 Neah Bay High School graduate and a second-year student at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H.

Coast Guard and Neah Bay Department of Public Safety personnel were unsuccessful in their search for a man who was on shoreline rocks at Hole in the Wall near Tatoosh Island on Sunday afternoon when he was pulled into the Strait of Juan de Fuca’s 10-foot to 11-foot waves, said Jasper Bruner, tribal Director of public safety, on Tuesday.

Bruner did not identify the man pending notification of kin.

“The Dartmouth,” the Ivy League school’s daily student newspaper, reported Monday that Monette had been reported missing Sunday from Cape Flattery.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

A family member of Monette’s notified the college that Monette was missing and that authorities were searching for him, according to the newspaper.

A family acquaintance who said her niece’s best friend is Monette’s girlfriend emailed the Peninsula Daily News for updates on the search.

“We are all heartbroken,” Eden Greer said in an email.

The Coast Guard suspended its search Monday morning, a Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound spokesman said Monday.

Bruner said Tuesday morning that Neah Bay Fire Department personnel would not conduct their search for Monette beyond Tuesday afternoon.

Monette had been hiking with a male companion along the shoreline when the wave hit, Bruner said. Bruner declined to identify the man.

Monette’s backpack was later found floating in the water.

A Neah Bay Middle School student, he qualified for the All American Soap Box Derby World Championships two years in a row.

While at Neah Bay High School, he was a linebacker on the Red Devils’ state Class 1B championship football teams in 2013 and 2014.

He also was a tribal carving apprentice in high school and took part in the annual Canoe Journey.

Monette was class historian of his 2015 Neah Bay High School graduating class of 25 students and spoke at the graduation.

He is in Dartmouth’s Class of 2019.

Founded in 1789, the school’s acceptance rate is about 10 percent of applicants.

________

Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.

More in News

Parker Brocious, 6, from Cedar Hills, Utah, studies tubs containing plankton, krill and other small ocean creatures used by the Port Townsend Marine Science Center for education purposes while on a road trip with his family on Tuesday at Fort Worden State Park. Parker’s father Tyler is at left. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Science education

Parker Brocious, 6, from Cedar Hills, Utah, studies tubs containing plankton, krill… Continue reading

Port Angeles approves lodging tax fund requests

Vacancy on committee brings legal questions

OMC hires family medicine physician

Dr. Calvin Kuo will join hospital in August

Colton Dufour, left, and his mom Cherie Tachell. (Cherie Tachell)
Boy seriously injured following hit-and-run

Condition is stable, but more testing underway for Sequim teenager

Applications open for Forks council seat

The Forks City Council is accepting applications to fill a… Continue reading

Bridge inspections set on Hood Canal

Bridge preservation engineers from the state Department of Transportation will… Continue reading

Port Townsend Farmers Market opens Saturday

Farm-fresh eggs, mexican pastries and smoked fish available

Adella Banning, 6, of Port Angeles pretends to take to the road on a all-terrain vehicle maintained by Clallam County Search and Rescue during Saturday’s Kiwanis Kids Fest at Vern Burton Community Center and a section of adjoining Fourth Street. The event featured numerous public safety displays as well as other youth activities hosted by area community service agencies. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Kids Fest

Adella Banning, 6, of Port Angeles pretends to take to the road… Continue reading

Clallam letter details Trump administration impacts

Clallam cites economy, tourism, healthcare

Rhonda Kromm is the new Port Angeles School District assistant superintendent. She replaces Michelle Olsen, the newly hired superintendent.
First bonds issued for develop plans for PAHS, Franklin Elementary

Construction at new Stevens Middle School to start in May

UPS Store closing Port Angeles location

UPS is closing its UPS Customer Center at 3216… Continue reading

Single-lane traffic near Kalaloch Campground

Erosion near Kalaloch Campground has caused a temporary lane closure… Continue reading