A bride-to-be was swept out to sea by a sneaker wave during what was suppose to have been a romantic moment at ‘Proposal Rock’ on the Oregon Coast. Read more about the incident, see photos, map, and video below.
Proposal Rock - Neskowin, Oregon
Scott Napper, age 45, had taken 22-year-old Leafil Alforque to ‘Proposal Rock’ to pop the question at a romantic place on the Oregon coast. Proposal Rock is where the love-struck across Oregon go to become engaged. They had been dating since they met on the internet in 2005. It seems Leafil Alforque had just arrived in Oregon on a Fiancee Visa from the Philippines three days before that fateful trip to the coast. They had actually met in person for the first time in January when he spent three weeks in the Philippines.
Here’s what happened: Scott said the tide had receded around Proposal Rock when the couple began to walk to it. He had planned what he thought was that perfect moment - to officially propose to Leafil on Proposal Rock, giving her the ring he carried in his pocket. Their wedding day was already set for December 6th.
About 10 feet from the rock, a sneaker wave about 3 feet high suddenly came toward them.
“I turned into it to keep from getting pulled under it,” Napper said.
“When I turned back around, she was about 30 feet away, getting swept out and that’s the last I saw of her. I yelled for her. I was praying to God.” he said in a tearful interview.
Leafil Alforque was only 4-foot-11 and 93 pounds and sadly she had been caught up by the receding waters and swept out to sea. Along with rescuers, Scott searched for hours of any sign of Leafil.
The water was only 53 degrees and very turbulent. Thick fog and dangerous water conditions are common on the Oregon coast this time of year and the search for Leafil’s body has been suspended for the time being. It’s been seven days since Leafil was swept out to sea. Her family back in the Philippines are distraught and are anxious that Leafil’s body is recovered. Police do not suspect foul play.
The Oregon coast is a beautiful but incredibly rugged place. Each year unsuspecting people like Leafil are swept out to sea by sneaker waves. Sometimes their bodies wash up on shore months later but many times, they are sadly never found.
Proposal Rock, Neskowin, Oregon Photos
Proposal Rock, Neskowin, Oregon Map
Proposal Rock at High Tide, Neskowin, Oregon Video
December 5th, 2008 at 10:36 am
a three foot wave is not very big.
i have been in much larger surf on cape cod and i am about 92 pounds.
however, 53 degree water is deadly. anything below 60 degrees is very uncomfortable. however, she should have been able to last thirty minutes.
it is a little suspicious if she can swim.
December 5th, 2008 at 10:40 am
should you ever find yourself suddenly being dragged out to sea btw, always swim diagonal or perpendicular with the current, not against it.
if you swim against the current you will lose. most people panic and exhaust themselves. however, rip currents are often just a few meters wide, and certainly less than 100 meters wide.
as any beach bunny who grew up on cape cod can tell you.
December 5th, 2008 at 11:15 am
If this was a Shakespearean play, the final act has surely not been written. Anyone wondering what a 45 year old dude is doing importing a 22 year-old foreign babe for marriage?
December 5th, 2008 at 11:32 am
“Anyone wondering what a 45 year old dude is doing importing a 22 year-old foreign babe for marriage?”
no. i am kinda surprised you are.
what do you think he is doing?
December 5th, 2008 at 11:37 am
This is tragic and odd. Odd in that he “tore” his jacket off. Maybe his jacket was “torn” for another reason - as she was trying to fight him. Also, if they were already set to be married Dec. 6th, wouldn’t she already have the ring. Maybe he had the ring because she changed her mind and gave it back to him. This is odd, and I sure wouldn’t write it off as an accident just yet.
December 5th, 2008 at 11:38 am
lisab lmao.
December 5th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
This is very suspicious. She grew up in the Phillipines, which is full of beaches. He looks fit and in shape. These kind of waves are very dangerous, especially in cold water, BUT to take a young woman out like that? And a grown, able man unable to help her?
Perhaps he imported her and then realized that she was more than he bargained for, ie she had a mind and wasn’t going to serve him hand and foot?
I know it’s not fair to throw around allegations like this, but I hope the authorities aren’t just taking his word for it. It’s their job to ask questions.
December 5th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Something funny going on here………….
December 5th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
The police should investigate that 45-year old dude thoroughly. Check if he had insured the girl making himself beneficiary in case of death before taking her to that dangerous beach.
The thing is, why the need to propose if they were already scheduled to get married?
VERY suspicious….
December 5th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Global warming did it
December 5th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
She probably hit her head on the rocks. They talk about “sneaker” waves all the time and teach us to avoid them by always keeping your eye on the ocean. I’ve spent about 400 days of my life on the beaches around Neskowin, and Oceanside and I’ve never actually seen one, that I know of. But I have seen rescues and several deaths first-hand in the form of Coast Guard helicopters. This happens all the time here. The waves here are much different than on the East Coast.
December 5th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Where I come from (Hawaii) we just ride the waves to shore instead of wrestling currents.
Freak sets happen everywhere.
Ronnys guess seems to make the most sense since it seems that either side of the proposal rock offers a clearing, but then agains a U shaped bay with a break usually only allows the run off to be a centered under current.
If she fell in, hit her head, the rock being in the center of the bay, she could of well gone under and been carried out under water right up the center and out to sea.
The pic shows no reef and a shore break leaving nothing to block the current.
December 5th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
As someone who is married to a wonderful woman from the Philippines I can perhaps shed some light on some of the “suspicious” items that people have mentioned.
1) The date for the marriage already being set.
When you’re having to follow the rules and time limits set down by the Department of Homeland Security (which is in charge of immigration), a lot of what should be romantic situations in a courtship end up having to be very pragmatic and un-romantic.
The article mentions how this was to be the “official” proposal. My guess is that there was probably already an “unofficial” proposal made over the phone or computer and that this was meant to be their chance to do it again “officially” in a more romantic way.
2) The idea that someone from an island nation should know how to swim.
My wife didn’t know how to swim until she was in her thirties. Knowing how to swim is far more influenced by having the wealth to pay for swimming lessons than it is by proximity to water. My guess would be that there’s a larger percentage of people who know how to swim in Nevada than there is in the Philippines.
3) The idea that maybe he did her in because she was more than he bargained for.
A fiancee visa lasts 90 days. If he decided in that time that he didn’t want to marry her after all, then he simply doesn’t marry her and she has to go back.
I certainly hope that the Police have taken all the steps that should be taken to rule out foul play, but unless there are facts that this article doesn’t go into, I don’t think there’s anything very suspicious here. My sympathy goes out to both the man and the girl’s family.
December 5th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
A tragic death. It is supposed to be one of their greatest memories but turned out into nightmare.
I am thinking of a foul play here. That man knows that such area is dangerous especially during this time of the year. Goodness! He should have used his mind.
December 5th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Try to see this for what it really is. This guy, Scott Napper, is pathetic and I hope he reads this. This young lady, Leafil Alforque and her family trusted him to keep her safe and to care for her here in the USA but his negligence killed her. (And just to let you all know, I have lived in the Philippines for over 2 years before and have travelled there many times and I married a filipina also, so I am well educated on the idea.) Anyway, he takes her to a dangerous and incredibly rugged place to propose to her even though visiting this place is cautioned at this time of year because of the “Thick fog and dangerous water conditions are common on the Oregon coast this time of year” but he decides for his own selfish desires to take the chance. Then when the wave comes in he immediately makes sure that he turns away from it so he don’t suffer any consequences while the poor girl is swept away. Why wasn’t his first response to grab for his little bride to be and make sure he held her tight to protect her first. Instead he stands there and watches her washed away and perish in the sea as he cowers behind his excuses. He should have dived in for her and he should have drowned with her. He is a coward and responsible for her death. And after watching him interviewed the evening of the so called accident he didn’t look too shook up to me. Her family should try to sue him for negligence and wrongful death. He intentionally put her in a dangerous situtation she was not aware of, and since I know many filipino people she most likely did not know how to swim even though she is from Philippines contrary to what some want to believe.
December 5th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
I am a Filipina as well living here in Canada. Leafil was 22 and I assumed that she had finished her studies. I’m not so sure but I think most college curriculum back home includes swimming lesson in PE. It is not a guarantee though that anyone who took it will become a great swimmer but atleast would learn the basic. However Philippines is a tropical country, with an average temperature of 20-30 deg celsius, even if she was an excellent swimmer I doubt if she could make it in her own in a cold (maybe supercold to her) water considering also that it was only her 3rd day in a new weather way colder than what she was used to. They should have been more careful, but what happened has already happened. I feel sorry for her and to Scott. I still hope that she’s still alive.
December 6th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
My fiancee is filipina and cannot swim. We have an age difference too.
What I read here is a tragic mistake and a clash of cultures.
Their culture and ours is very different. Older men are the preference of most women. They find older men better fathers and providers. They have close historic ties with us and most speak English and feel they will be treated better by a American husband. I’ve met many that cannot swim or are sun bathers. Many work long hours for little money in big city’s and have little time for the beach.
American men find in them great wives and mothers and many with conservative old world values. That combination makes for wonderful families with extremely low divorce rates. This is why you will see many older American men with younger Asian women in general. Not to knock American women, but as we get older its hard to find women without kids, crazy ex’s or that are not very materialistic.
As far as this terrible event, I in some ways agree with Steven above. Not the name calling part, but many precautions were overlooked. But we were not there so it’s hard to judge why. But lets face it, people make mistakes all the time, perhaps caught up in the moment, time constraints imposed by INS, (to bad she immigrated the right way, if she was an illegal she would have had the blessing of our government, not had to wait three years and all the time to wait till summer!!) whatever it was that made this happen, all the law suits and name calling won’t bring her back. What should be done is prayers and help for these families in what is now a tragic Christmas season. Maybe stop use of the area during such conditions. Education would be the key to stopping all these mistakes and misunderstandings. Perhaps a fund started in Leafil Alforque’s name to teach swimming to young and old alike and or the hazards of the sea.
Our hearts and prayers go out to all those involved and many thanks to everyone who tried to help in any way. God Bless..
December 8th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
This story is too suspicious. One, why is the groom seeking so much publicity? I see him repeatedly on local and national news retelling the story, and on the sensational news shows. Why is he so interested in publicity? I haven’t seen him shedding any tears.
Two, why didn’t he make more of an effort to save her? Many men would have died trying, he didn’t even try. Why wasn’t he holding her hand in that dangerous situation, and watching out for her? It was a dumb idea for him to take her there to begin with.
Let’s hope there is suspicious detective on the local police force.
December 11th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
God only knows what and why this happened. I agree with the previous person that mentioned of concentrating to not suing that would not bring her back. It is very easy to say what you would do in that position in that very moment. My first thought ( because I am married to a Filipina ) would do all I could do to protect her. But, as I said it would be hard to say what you would do. Our families prayers go to her family and the police to find the quick answer.GOD KNOWS!!! God bless him and her family.
December 13th, 2008 at 10:09 am
you know what i dont understand about that idiot napper, knowing how dangerous it is at proposal rock, he shouldnt have never taken her there in the first place putting her life in danger! if he really loved her that much to put her life in danger, then he should have at least jumped in with her. he is a BIG IDIOT!
December 13th, 2008 at 11:05 am
I’ve driven by those rocks and I would never even think of going out to one as it looks darn dangerous and the water is blistering cold and those beaches can be so grey and deserted and don’t exactly spell “happy times”.
April 9th, 2009 at 2:24 am
I think that it is a very interesting and amusing article. Practically all its main points are true.