Gloucester police and firefighters rescued two women in their 20s who were swept off Dog Bar breakwater in Gloucester Harbor on Sunday morning, according to officials.
The departments received a call at 10:46 a.m. reporting that the women had been washed off the granite breakwater, which extends into the harbor from Eastern Point Lighthouse on the harbor’s outer edge, the police and fire departments said in a statement.
Emergency responders arrived at the breakwater and descended 12 feet down its side to get to the women, according to officials. Rescuers used their bodies to protect the women from multiple direct strikes as waves hit the breakwater.
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Officials reported that both women sustained significant leg injuries and were taken to local hospitals by ambulance.
Police Chief Edward Conley cautioned that while the 2,250-foot-long breakwater has a wide, walkable granite surface, it can be dangerous.
“We would like to take this moment to remind residents and visitors that in unsettled weather conditions, particularly at high tide, powerful waves can splash over the top of the breakwater, creating dangerous conditions,” Conley said in the statement.
Maddie Browning can be reached at maddie.browning@globe.com.