Sunday, February 26, 2012

Self Filmed Rescue

Three local kayakers found themselves out in rough water yesterday as a paddle from Oak Bay Marina to Trial Island into 30 knot winds turned a little dicey. One kayaker stayed close to shore, but lost sight of the others who had rafted up, so he alerted rescue authorities. As it happened, the Oak Bay Rescue boat was nearby practising rough water kayak rescues with some paddlers from SISKA and was able to respond quickly. All ended well, except for one lost paddle.
One of those involved blogged about his experience, and here's his video of the rescue:

5 comments:

  1. I dont get it..Why didnt they just paddle back to shore? was that really necessary?

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    1. I can't speak for the paddlers as to exactly why they did what they did, but I understand the rationale. With one paddler unable/unwilling to turn his boat broadside to the waves to return to shore, they were letting the current take them back around the point to an island just offshore from where they put in. There they could either wait out the wind, or regroup and make a quick direct dash home. The two paddlers being filmed didn't call for rescue -- that was done by the third paddler in the group who managed to return to shore but lost sight of his companions.

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  2. Why don't you blokes use paddle leashes, especially when out in strong winds?

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    1. I do know some paddlers who don't use them as they believe it's just another rope to get tangled up in. A local instructor advises his students not to use them during his classes. I don't know the details of the incident, but one of his students went over during a class and somehow her paddle leash wound around her neck during her wet exit. So different strokes for different folks. That said, I almost always use mine.

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  3. funny, you dont see many leashes on Greenland paddles. I'll take my chances with a coil type leash every time. I can always cut if off of myself. my take on this from afar is that the paddler in yellow got a little overwhelmed psychologically by some lively water. most kayaks are more seaworthy than you think when you're the one fighting the fear factor. no shame in their friend calling for help though. they coulda waved the rescue boat off if they didnt need it. again, I wasnt there, but 30 knot winds usually translate to 4-5 foot wind waves in those parts, and they just didnt look that big...

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