Moment mariner rescued by US Coast Guard as vessel capsized by huge wave

Dramatic footage captures the moment a mariner was rescued by the US Coast Guard after a huge wave smashed into a yacht at the mouth of the Columbia River.

A rescue swimmer was deployed to the water using a winch cable but as he approached, a breaking wave capsized the vessel, throwing the man in.

The swimmer - named as John Walton - proceeded to retrieve the mariner from the water and both were hoisted into a helicopter.

Local authorities later notified the coast guard that the individual rescued is suspected to have stolen the yacht.

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