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Maxime Rancourt, who was rescued from a San Francisco cliff on Wednesday, March 25, has opened up about her near-fatal experience.
Rancourt went swimming last week at Ocean Beach, known for its strong currents and high-energy surf break, and soon found herself struggling in the water.
Despite leaving her glasses on the shore, which limited her visibility, she managed to beat the currents and climb 70 feet of nearby rocks, where she stayed until help arrived.
Highlights
- San Francisco woman Maxime Rancourt narrowly survived a life-threatening incident at Ocean Beach, known for its strong currents.
- After being rescued, she called the first responders her “angels” and expressed she’s grateful to be alive.
- Last year, a man lost his life at the same beach while trying to rescue his dog from the water.
“I realized that it wasn’t a good idea, but it was the idea to save myself,” she said, following the rescue.
RELATED:
Rancourt has detailed the turn of events that led her to become national news
Image credits: Good Morning America
Rancourt spoke to ABC7 following her rescue, during which she said she planned on having a brief “cold plunge” in the ocean, but the “extreme current” took her “almost 15 meters” away from the shore.
“I’m a good swimmer, but I don’t usually swim there,” she explained.
Sensing danger, Rancourt said she “jumped and grabbed onto a rock” on the cliff as waves smashed against it.
Image credits: ABC7
“Everything went so fast. I was on the rock and started climbing from left to right,” she went on to explain.
Minutes later, a passerby saw her and said “hey,” she recounted. “He was asking me if I was okay.”
The stranger called 911, and about five minutes later, the San Francisco Fire Department’s coastal rescue team arrived.
Image credits: Good Morning America
Rancourt was asked by ABC7, “What do you want to say to that person who called 911?” to which she replied, “I want to say thank you so much, because I now have a future because of this person.”
Expressing gratitude for the SF rescue team, whom she couldn’t meet, on the other hand, Rancourt called them her “angels” and shared that she plans on going back to the fire station with treats to thank them.
Rancourt told the outlet she had a “profound spiritual experience” after almost losing her life.
“I thank God for being alive,” she added.
The San Francisco Fire Department described the challenging terrain where Rancourt became stranded
Image credits: Good Morning America
Harry Higgins, Lieutenant for SF Fire Department Station 14, described the area where Rancourt was stuck as a “toilet bowl,” with waves smashing against the rocks from three sides.
The area is officially known as Kelly’s Cove.
“It makes it really challenging to surf, or in her case, swim,” he said.
Image credits: Good Morning America
Lieutenant Marino Elias, for his part, corroborated the details provided by Rancourt about how she ended up in a life-threatening situation.
“She was taken by the currents further away from the entry point. When she realized she was getting pulled away from where she came in, she decided to go to the rocks and try to climb up them,” he said.
Image credits: Good Morning America
After being harnessed by the rescue team, “she leaned back and trusted the ropes,” he further revealed.
Elias said that Rancourt was evaluated by the medical team following her rescue, during which she said she did not feel the need for further treatment.
“The SFFD trains daily for situations like this and is always prepared for any type of incident,” he added.
According to the New York Post, at least eight people lost their lives at Ocean Beach between 2014 and 2020 due to strong currents.
Last year, a man passed away at the same beach after collapsing in the water while trying to rescue a dog
Image credits: Brocken Inaglory
The man who passed away on May 8, 2025, after rushing into Ocean Beach fully clothed to save his dog, Benji, was identified as 59-year-old Garbo Chang.
He reportedly collapsed in the water at around 2 p.m. and was pulled out by two women who were present at the scene.
They began performing life-saving measures while first responders were en route.
Despite being put on life support at the scene when professional help arrived, Chang could not be saved.
Image credits: SusanDReynolds/X
SF Fire officials at the time said Chang’s toxicology report, which would reveal why he collapsed suddenly in the water, would take months to arrive.
No update has surfaced on the matter since.
Benji was able to exit the water on his own and was being housed in Animal Care and Control, according to a statement given to the San Francisco Chronicle by Mitchell Bakst, Chang’s friend and romantic partner of 15 years.
“I’m at a total loss for understanding what happened,” Bakst said of Chang’s demise, adding that he did not have a heart condition or any other medical complications that would explain his collapse.
Chang did not know how to swim, Bakst said, expressing he couldn’t imagine him going “beyond his waist” in the water.
“Rough current” was hypothesized as a reason for Chang’s demise by a netizen at the time, who advised anyone with a dog in a similar situation to learn from the case and “wait for them to swim back to the shore on their own.”
“Ocean Beach is a dangerous beach,” another added.
“I know that area well. You gotta have some serious nerves to get in that water,” the next asserted
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