Dead Wrong!

Written by Paul Lebowitz     

Kayak fishing fatalities - one is too many.

Four in the past few months is dead wrong, when any one of them might have been prevented.

The details of the latest fatality are still sketchy,  but like the others we've reported on lately, the victim had two things in common with those who've died in this recent rash of accidents.

He was out solo, without a wingman.

He wasn't wearing a PFD.

The last thing we at Kayak Angler want to do is get preachy. We've taken risks, plenty of them. I've racked up a couple of close calls that still give me the willies.

Long-time kayak fishing writer Ric Burnley recently researched North American kayak fishing deaths for an upcoming story. According to the US Coast Guard, 10 kayak anglers were lost from 2006 to 2009. "Chilling. I couldn't tell you how many times I could have been number 11," he wrote.

When you fish remote, rough water, you know you're taking a chance. It's an individual's informed choice to make, and it shouldn't be any other way.

Here's the thing. Some of those who left us were likely pushing the limits, but most were not. A trip on flat water shouldn't cost anyone a life. In three of the four recent incidents, it did.

As safe as this sport appears and in fact is, events can quickly turn serious. Are you ready to accept the consequences?

Theres truth there. Ya alot of deaths happen that could have been avoided by taking safety precautions. But sometimes Everything just goes wrong an nothing can change that. I think it up to the person to decide wether the rewards are worth the risk, for me they are.

Sailfish, thanks for posting that.  Every time I hit the water I make a very conscious decision to wear my PFD.  Then again, I bought a $90 PFD, so its comfy...super cheap, and enjoyable to use insurance.
Actually, I have 4 of the fancy vests, that way yak-less friends don't complain about the PFD's when they go out on our boats.  It also eliminates the need for me to be a hard A about wearing them

Here's the thing. Some of those who left us were likely pushing the limits, but most were not. A trip on flat water shouldn't cost anyone a life. In three of the four recent incidents, it did.

As safe as this sport appears and in fact is, events can quickly turn serious. Are you ready to accept the consequences?

even "flat and calm" water is risky.  In a kayak, there is no reason to not wear your PFD unless you make that decision consciously with an honest evaluation of risk factors.

so, um....yes

I pretty much fit the bill for solo, adventure seeker. The reason being I love being solo and in risky situations... so I train; practice; and wear crap that can save my life. I'm not just talking about kayak fishing though. If I die, then I die; that's how I look at it. I quadruple my life insurance just because of this. Many people thrive on taking the risks... I think its just something they (we) need to feel alive. Could be a mental disorder though... I'm not ruling that out

Could be a mental disorder though... I'm not ruling that out

  that's why we come to this website, isn't it?

 I find it hard to believe that someone would go out on the water without a PFD on. With the vests they have out today comfort is not an issue, my vest feels like clothing rather than bulk.

I find it hard to believe that someone would go out on the water without a PFD on.

I see it pretty regularly.

A few weeks ago I was doing the ol' aerobic paddle into Lover's Point. Wind, mixed wind waves, etc ... not obviously dangerous, just not easy. I passed a guy in a smallish SIK with no one around him, except me, for maybe a quarter mile - no PFD, no skirt. He looked perfectly comfortable with a smoke in hand and a drift sock out.

At the time I had thought the guy had a bigger set than me...


Ben

I have never considered being in the yak without a PFD.  Having been tossed from the yak once, the value of the PFD and VHF can't be understated.  When I capsized at Paradise, it was the first time for me to be in the water, other than by my own choice.  I was fishing with HobieDave and he was only a few yards away.  I called him on the VHF and he assisted me getting back on the yak.  Three things made what could have been a difficult and dangerous situation, a non-event. Fishing with a friend nearby, a good PFD, and a VHF radio.  There was really one other major contributor:  The NCKA and all of the posts regarding the importance of good safety gear and techniques.  The loss of life is truly avoidable in our sport. 

Martin

I think some of the allure of this sports comes from the element of danger.  I love and dread a surf launch.  Heading back in is always more scary for me.  I keep having to look behind me over and over again.  One question though, of the deaths associated with kayak angling, have there been any from people wearing pfds and fishing with others?   Just a thought.

I think some of the allure of this sports comes from the element of danger.  I love and dread a surf launch.  Heading back in is always more scary for me.  I keep having to look behind me over and over again.  One question though, of the deaths associated with kayak angling, have there been any from people wearing pfds and fishing with others?   Just a thought.

Hopefully we'll learn more about the details when Paul Lebowitz public his research.  Below is another related article to our sport by Christina Siderius:

Source: Northwest Outdoor Center

Chris Cramer, of Seattle, didn't think twice about taking an inexperienced friend kayaking on Lake Washington three years ago. The weather was warm and plenty of people were on the water.

But after his friend flipped his kayak and, unable to right it, struggled in the water for more than 10 minutes, Cramer says he's more cautious when going on kayaking trips.

"That was kind of a wake-up call. There were people around, but we were in trouble," he said.

Cramer now makes beginners practice basic self-rescue skills before taking them out on the water.

Inexperienced kayakers often find themselves in difficult — if not deadly — situations when they encounter variables they aren't prepared for. The Pacific Northwest coast, where water temperatures are dangerously cold year-round, is especially risky for boaters, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

A Seattle man died last weekend while kayaking near Port Townsend, after he and his friend overturned their kayak and were in the frigid water for about an hour before rescuers found them. The friend was taken to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition but has since been released.

The Coast Guard has responded to 18 boating fatalities in the Puget Sound area this year, three of them kayakers. Of the fatalities involving people in boats that are paddled, seven weren't wearing personal flotation devices.

Between 1996 and 2002, there were more than 120 kayak fatalities nationwide, according to the American Canoe Association, which tracks the paddle-boat industry.

There are many things to consider when kayaking in open water: Having the right equipment is more obvious, but knowing how wind affects paddling and how tides work for and against a kayaker is more complex.

"If you're just renting a boat for a day, you don't know any of that," said Cramer.

Greg Whittaker, who runs Alki Kayak Tours at Alki Crab and Fish in West Seattle, said novices should join a kayak group, get a guide and become educated on basic rescue skills before heading out.

"Go out and find the right instruction," he said.

Whittaker said kayakers should know their limitations — and anticipate that the water and wind can be unpredictable.

"You have to respect the sea. If you don't, that's when problems occur," he said.

John Meyer, an owner of Northwest Outdoor Center on Westlake Avenue North, suggests inexperienced boaters take beginner classes. Experienced boaters say a prepared kayaker should have a boat appropriate for the activity, protective clothing, a personal flotation device, safety and communication equipment, skills to re-enter the water and roll, and a partner with them.

One of the biggest dangers for kayakers in the Seattle area is the cold water, according to the Coast Guard.

The two kayakers involved in the Port Townsend accident both suffered hypothermia, according to East Jefferson Fire Rescue Chief Michael Mingee, and the boater who survived was hospitalized because his body temperature was so low.

Coast Guard spokesman Jeff Pollinger said sudden entry into the water can lead to cardiac arrest, even for those in good health, and the shock of the change in temperature causes people to lose muscle coordination within minutes.

That can occur in water as warm as 69 degrees, he said.

Unexpectedly ending up in cold water can cause a person to become incapacitated in just a few minutes, Pollinger said.

Even by taking all necessary precautions, this sport is not without risk. But to go out on any body of water without a PFD is just plain stupid. It is sad that people are losing their lives because of their own ignorance. Its enough of a risk on the big blue that you might meet the landlord! Not much you can do when that happens!

If you are in NorCal salt water you better have a wetsuit also. I have Kayaked in big swell and wind/waves that were very bad but the worst conditions I've been in were on Clear Lake. We fished all day on calm water with perfect weather. We turned around to go back the 1.5 mile to the ramp and a storm came in from nowhere. We were way out in the middle of the lake and the waves were so big that it was like 1.5 miles of surf launching. The waves were hitting me in the belly with force and I thought I was going to lose all my gear. It was so bad that people were lined up on the shore watching us. It was early spring, the water was very cold and we didn't have wetsuits. It was 75, sunny and FAC the entire day until we started paddling in.