Cold water rescue

[Big Mike]

I know it’s hard to conceive of the water being cold already. On Sunday a retired coast guard guy and his wife were cruising in Breton Bay to head for dinner. They spotted an object that looked strange to them and as they got closer they realized it was a man barely keeping his head above water. He was a paddle boarder who fell off, his inflatable vest didn’t inflate, somehow lost his board and before he could make it to shore he got hypothermia. The water is 68 right now, which for most of us seems warm, I know I don’t shiver when I step into it to launch. But if you think about it, that’s 30 degrees below body temp and very quickly you can lose strength in it. We all love Rocktober, let’s stay safe out there.

[john from md]

Good timing Big Mike. This is why I always wear a padded paddling vest rather than an infallible. I have been dumped quite a few times and having that instant buoyancy allows you to start getting your act together immediately. There is a drawback in that you have to back stroke if you have to swim to shore but I did it for about 500 yards once and it wasn't too bad.

[ski357]

Thanks for sharing Big Mike. It is cold water season!

[moc]

Good everyone. I always wear a traditional life vest, not a self inflating one. I always worry about having to maintain another device, such as replacing the components in the vest and hoping that you did not make a mistake and it did not inflate.

[Slackdaddy]

My Wife and I always wear top shelf Fishing PFDs,
with whistles and waterproof strobes/lights. While I do Solo fish on occasion, she only goes wife me or a group.

[Redfish12]

I’m a big self rescue proponent and I really recommend everyone practice it. You should do it before it gets cold and do it in stages of difficulty until you can be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Start with a stripped down kayak and go out and roll it over all the way. See how much water your hatches let in, see how hard it is to turn it back over, practice re-entering the kayak from both sides and from the front / rear depending on the style kayak you have. This could be important depending on how you’ve configured the rod holders and other accessories on your kayak. Then do it with an empty crate or whatever you use for storage. Then start loading some gear in (with leashes or floats) and see what happens when you roll. Then try doing it with a hatch that’s open. Practice using your pump and see how long it takes until you can actually get in the kayak again or paddle it. Then do it with your cold water gear on (dry suit or waders + drytop). Remember the 120 rule, if air temp + water temp = less than 120 then hypothermia is a risk.

Know your limits and have a plan. Fortune favors the prepared. I’ve made many a friend and even my wife do this before I will take them out on big water bc I want them to be prepared. If anyone needs help learning the techniques for righting your kayak or getting back in I’d be happy to show you how. Better to get wet now, learn and live, vs the alternative.

The best person I know on self rescue and preparedness is Joe - ComeOnFish. If you haven’t seen his YouTube videos of his self rescue encounters and getting caught in a bad storm at CBBT then I recommend you check them out and think about what you’d do in that situation. Joe recommends tethering yourself to your kayak in rough weather and that could have helped this paddle boarder out in this situation.