Kayaker Drowns Cambria- 7-1

[PJ]

horrible thing, just went over to check the ocean, & there was a coast
guard boat, sheriff & a crowd.  calm day with some insignificant
swell, no wind & warm.

this is what i was told from someone who knew what was going on;

the guy was offshore, past the kelp, they found his boat & his body.
don't know how it happened. had a chopper looking as well, just one
person, alone.

a terrible shame & a BIG REMINDER TO US ALL that even in calm
conditions our life can be threatened out there. (there was some surf
on the beach but this happened well offshore so it doesn't seem to be a
factor)

stay safe guys, stay together, HAVE YOUR RADIOS WORKING, MAKE SURE
THEY'RE SUBMERSIBLE, DON'T CHEAP OUT!

don't really know more than that.  be careful this weekend.

pj

[PISCEAN]

My sympathies to this person's family & friends.

It's not always fun n games out there.

Thanks for posting PJ.

[Ranger Jim]

Sounds like a case of Cardiac arrest or maybe even a stroke while kayaking, causing the person to drown. They will have to do an autopsy to confirm cause of death, had a world class paddler/swimmer drown due to Hypothermia this past year in Tomales Bay. Be safe and be prepared, wear the right equipment for the elements.

Ranger Jim

[PJ]

could be something out of the ordinary.  i will let every one know if i hear more, it's pretty small town & i know some fire rescue members.  will post as soon as word comes out.

pj

[Tote]

The more info that can be gathered the better it will be for all of us.
The more we all know the more we may be able to prevent unfortunate mishaps.

[Alfredo]

Sad news.

http://www.ksby.com/Global/story.asp?S=10628848

[Abking]

"They want to remind folks that if you plan to do anything in the ocean to always go in pairs and never alone."

There are many of us here who don't follow that advice.  I am a careful judge of the conditions, dedicated to having the proper gear, and close monitor of the tune of my body.  I feel that kayak fishing alone is nowhere near the exposure and risk potential of freediving alone, but I sometimes do the latter too.  It may be a flaw to take such risks, and it may be an even more ironic flaw that the outcome of solo missions is often quite a rush of pride and accomplishment.  I feel very alive on the solo mission, and I bet this brother of ours did too.  I'm sad for his family, and I hope those left behind understand what makes people like us go out there.

[iroelikethat]

well said Abking, RIP Kayaker

[PJ]

"They want to remind folks that if you plan to do anything in the ocean to always go in pairs and never alone."

There are many of us here who don't follow that advice.  I am a careful judge of the conditions, dedicated to having the proper gear, and close monitor of the tune of my body.  I feel that kayak fishing alone is nowhere near the exposure and risk potential of freediving alone, but I sometimes do the latter too.  It may be a flaw to take such risks, and it may be an even more ironic flaw that the outcome of solo missions is often quite a rush of pride and accomplishment.  I feel very alive on the solo mission, and I bet this brother of ours did too.  I'm sad for his family, and I hope those left behind understand what makes people like us go out there.

i hear ya abking.  i have a ton of respect for you & others, & the lure of going it alone is great.  i often do in the yak. but as for diving alone, i'll share this & i've shared it before;

my cousing was a gnarly guy, did the iron man (the real one in hawaii), many times & finished in the middle of the pack.  swam, biked, fished.  had everything, great family, beach house.  & low and behold, that's what did him in.  same scenario, solo-diving & his kids grew up w/out him.

i know it's not completely justified but that's one thing i will not do, go diving.  & i certainly wouldn't do it alone.

take care this weekend everone.

pj

[littoral]

"They want to remind folks that if you plan to do anything in the ocean to always go in pairs and never alone."

Sounds like it was a pair: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/178/story/770608.html?storylink=omni_popular

[BabyManBen]

the most recent update from the ksby link states it was just one person.  CG confirmed.

[littoral]

the most recent update from the ksby link states it was just one person.  CG confirmed.

Diving alone, bummer.

PJ, someone else you know lost their father to diving alone... Rusty. His dad died off of Moonstone.

[BabyManBen]

yeah definitely a sad story.  i am heading down that way this weekend but without kayak in tow.  hope everyone stays safe down there, i dont want to be seeing the same thing from a beach while i'm there.

[Marmite]

From the comments made by someone on the SLO.COM article posted by Littoral, it sounds like the guy may not have even been diving prior to his death:

seagazer wrote on 07/01/2009 08:09:38 PM:
This happened at the end of my street! When I came home the emergency vehicles were there and I wondered what had happened. The ocean was as calm as could be with no waves at all today. I spoke to the woman who had made the 911 call and she said that one moment he was paddling about and then within 10 minutes he was capsized. She had been watching him from her kitchen window. It's sort of a mystery.

I was interested in the accident referred to by Ranger Jim:

http://www.ptreyeslight.com/cgi/news_archive_2009.pl?record=312

Sounds like these guys were in good shape but were improperly dressed and one still succumbed to hypothermia.  The end of the article made a somewhat counterintuitive observation that swimming to shore may not be the best strategy if you are over 100 yards out.

A google search turned up another article on a hypthermia/drowning accident at Tomales Bay:

http://www.ptreyeslight.com/stories/apr18/boating.html

It was interesting to note that even a timely rescue attempt--within 15 minutes--was not soon enough to save any of these four.

He said the Coast Guard boats arrived within 15 minutes, but the 55-degree water was simply too cold.

Petty Officer Murphy said that people can be overcome by hypothermia within 10 minutes in Tomales Bay, at which point the body's extremities start to simply "shut off. People describe it as if they start to fall asleep," he said.

Just a reminder that hypothermia is a real killer, no matter how good a shape you are in.

[Tote]

If he was freediving a very good possibility is SWB.