This is how 60 Minutes reported on the “Graveyard of the Pacific”

This week on 60 Minutes, correspondent Bill Whitaker reported on the Surfmen, an elite U.S. Coast Guard unit.

These nerve-racking men and women train in a dangerous bay near the coast of Washington and Oregon that has been given an ominous nickname: “Graveyard of the Pacific” – and for good reason.

This is where the wide, fast-flowing Columbia River and the waves that have traveled across the Pacific from Asia collide. The chaotic surf has destroyed thousands of ships and sailboats over the centuries.

Certified surfers are expected to perform daring rescue missions in waters like these with waves of up to 20 feet and winds of up to 50 knots.

Whitaker and the 60 Minutes team wanted to climb aboard a 47-foot lifeboat to see how these surfers train for one of the Coast Guard's toughest missions.

But before boarding, the team had to test a drysuit, a waterproof suit that retains body heat and prevents hypothermia if its wearer falls into freezing water.

On a cold morning in February, Whitaker tested his suit for leaks. Accompanied by two Coast Guardsmen, he plunged into the icy waters of the Columbia River for 15 minutes.

“I had no protection on my hands. And let me tell you, my hands were ice cold. “But the drysuit kept my body relatively warm,” Whitaker told 60 Minutes Overtime.

Whitaker and the team received a safety briefing before making their way to the lifeboat. They were told to prepare for the possibility of a “rollover,” when a wave crashes into a boat and causes it to rotate 360 ​​degrees on its axis.

As he drove the lifeboat out into the bay, chief instructor Eric Ceallaigh explained how the boat's design prevents it from sinking in the event of a rollover.

A large buoyancy chamber and additional chambers filled with air ensure that the boat can resurface if it is turned upside down.

“Imagine putting a soccer ball in the bathtub… when you push it down, the laces always shoot up,” Ceallaigh said.

“So if this boat goes underwater, it will violently right itself so we can prepare for the next wave.”

Whitaker told 60 Minutes Overtime that they had to be secured at two points of contact to prevent him and photographer Dennis Dillon from being thrown into the sea in a rollover. They were told to hold their breath until the boat righted itself.

“The entire flip usually lasts eight to twelve seconds…that’s how long we had to hold our breath,” Whitaker recalls.

“We would be wet and panting, but we would be safe and secure.”

Out on the crashing waves, Ceallaigh and the other surfers-in-training screamed as they spotted a wave coming their way.

Ceallaigh accelerated and steered the boat to maneuver or even break through waves from all directions.

A technique called “squaring up” involved pointing the bow of the ship at the crest of a large breaking wave and accelerating over it.

“You end up at the top of that wave… you look up and all you see is the sky,” Whitaker explained.

“As soon as you get over the crest of the wave, you look straight into the water. And you just get shaken around and pushed around. And it’s truly the most incredible rollercoaster ride you could ever imagine.”

Whitaker wondered how Ceallaigh could be so calm in such a chaotic environment and asked if he was enjoying it.

“If you let me go into the surf in a lifeboat, I'll be in a great mood straight away,” he told Whitaker.

“Full of endorphins. Happy as can be. All my problems go away…I absolutely love it.”

The video above was produced by Will Croxton. It was edited by Sarah Shafer Preacher.