NorCal Kayak Anglers
Kayak Fishing Zone => Safety First => Topic started by: Cabeza de Martillo on February 27, 2017, 09:17:27 AM
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This vid should be watched by any newb diver before venturing out for the first time.
This guy was diving in what I believe was Van Damme in Mendo. Van Damme is one of the safest and calmest places to dive on the North Coast and he had a close call in shallow water.
Diving with an experienced dive buddy and taking a dive class is recommended.
Be safe out there!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twRipEc-eUw
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Thanks for the Video . Did it seem like the person he was with was not very experienced as well ?
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They were both newbs.
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Big slice of humble pie. Thanks for sharing.
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I of course have no diving experience, but it seems like clinging to the rock walls near shore is not the thing to do with wave surges knocking you up against them. Seems as though it would be more appropriate to swim a bit away from them.
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I like the part where he tells us that HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO SWIM, but it should be okay since it's only 3 or 4 ft of water.
The headline would've been, "Another abalone diver dies in Mendo..." even though he doesn't classify as a diver, let alone a swimmer, just an idiot.
At least he shared his idiocy on YouTube for someone to learn from...
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Yeah, that looks like Van Damme alright.
Van Damme is one of the safest and calmest places to dive on the North Coast
Very true, but up against that rock, the ocean is a hammer, the rock is an anvil and you are in the middle. That was plain dumb luck it didn't turn out worse.
Some folks just think Ab diving is easy and simple, sometimes it is and then there are the rest of 'em.
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Thought I recognized the guy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71K-J16Hv3Q
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Ya ! This dude has no business putting up a how to obtain abalone with the experience he has. He explains nothing about gear or safety. :smt013
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I usually like Matt's videos. And in his defense, he spends well over four minutes at the beginning of this one telling people that what he did was dumb. As others have said, maybe some dummy sees this and thinks again before heading out unprepared.
That being said, there are a few other videos of his that make me shake my head because they involve sketchy setups and nothing happens to go wrong to give inexperienced viewers pause. Anchoring off of Baker Beach in a Big 5 inflatable raft to go crabbing ? Taking that same boat out at HMB without a PFD ? Recipe for disaster.
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I dont like to get anywhere near the cliffs when im diving even when its glassy, ill get close to a wash rocks but theres no kicking around a cliff. Like mentioned this guy has some sketchy looking videos.
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Dude may have saved a life with that video. Who knows?
It's funny how people post vids with zero experience and others watch as if it were gospel.
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It's funny how people post vids with zero experience and others watch as if it were gospel.
^ This
You're going to look pretty dumb with a tombstone that reads "He saw it on YouTube."
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In the winter and spring I backcountry ski, which is way dangerous too, and just like going out on the ocean — situations can go from mellow and nice to life-and-death in seconds. I often talk to mariners and skiers/boarders who 1) Are clearly goofballs and disasters-waiting-to-happen, and 2) Believe deep inside that because they've successfully gone into harm's way at least once that that makes them good at it.
They confuse luck with skill. Then they rinse and repeat the same stupidity, so their errors take on a fake life that hides the errors behind lucky, smiling, stupid faces ... until reality catches up and takes them out.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I of course have no diving experience, but it seems like clinging to the rock walls near shore is not the thing to do with wave surges knocking you up against them. Seems as though it would be more appropriate to swim a bit away from them.
Yes and no. Yes, rocks can be hazards, but they can also be used for protection if done correctly.
Understanding that what we share here is no substitute for proper safety courses taught by certified instructors, I'll share some tips:
- NEVER take your eye off the sea (the surge/wave source/direction)
- Don't panic, your brain is your most important tool. Clear thinking is what helps us figure out how to make the best of the bad situation.
- The water is roughest at the surface: The ocean has surge and at the surface the surge stacks up and becomes swells and then waves. Sometimes it is helpful to maneuver, hang out, recover under water where conditions are less hazardous. Example: surfers and divers all duck under waves when in the surf crush zone.
- Rocks are hazardous, and so are docks, other kayaks, boats, ships, wharfs, pilings, and sandy beaches for the very same reason: They are all bigger than we are, so in shoving matches, we soft and fragile humans lose in most close encounters.
- With regard to rocks/shore and waves, there's a front side ("weather-side") and a back side ("leeward-side"). As Fisherman X noted, the hammer and anvil side is the front side for sure, so if you're unlucky enough to get caught in that crush-zone, try to hold onto the rock but get around to its back side. For the most part, that uses the rock to blunt the force of the surge/waves on your body. IMPORTANT: This concept also applies to those other bad situations where we need protection from the waves and wind, like getting rescued by a PB out on the open sea.
- If in the crush-zone, this is when seeing and planning for the next hit will save your life, clinging to the rocks has to be done correctly: As the waves approach, hug that rock tightly with your whole body like your life depends on it, and hold your head against the rock before the wave smashes it there for you. The idea is to be like a starfish or an abalone, do not allow the water to get a grip on you. If you can't get around behind the rock, try to find a hollowed out area or a bump out or anything that can weaken the hit before you take the hit
- Keep that mask and snorkel on and in your mouth until you are high, dry and able to walk away. It is what makes it possible to breath and see.
- WRT #3 above, I am not inclined to drop my weight belt too quickly. The weight belt is what makes it possible to drop below the rough stuff at the surface. Once it's gone, there is no getting it back and then the person gets pushed around just like a cork at the surface.
Yes, that's a lot of pieces to put together, and that's why proper training and repetition are needed. Starting with baby steps and gradually ramping things up is also a good idea.
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Yeah....using the lee side of a rock is good in theory, but the rock has to be small enough that you can get around to the other side...before the next set comes...
I treat wash rocks/islands/pinnacles/cliffs etc with caution and each situation is really different...sometimes on calm days you can get right next to wash rocks and explore, but some days you really just need to stay the hell away from them...
No substitute really IMO for water time and experience and knowing your limits, keeping an eye on conditions/forecast, and ideally having an idea of the layout of the shore/rocks etc where you are at...
Even the best diver can get caught in situations that can get ugly quick...experience will hopefully allow you to get back home safe and sound, even if you get hurt....like my friend Jim Okumoto did...he limps now, but he's alive.
Dive safe everyone!
:smt006
Sincerely,
Jim
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Here's a pic of my head from a few years ago...came up from checking out a crack under an overhang and forgot about the overhang...
Saw stars and lucky I didn't knock myself out...
:smt006
Sincerely,
Jim
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That guy is a regular you tuber,after this vid he posted another one about how easy it was to get his last mits of abs
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That guy is a regular you tuber,after this vid he posted another one about how easy it was to get his last mits of abs
Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug.
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It's people like this that has made treasure hunting very good!
Found more gear next to cliffs and wash rocks. Weight belts, knives, flashlights, ab irons, got a spear gun off the Mendo Headlands.
4est
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It's people like this that has made treasure hunting very good!
Found more gear next to cliffs and wash rocks. Weight belts, knives, flashlights, ab irons, got a spear gun off the Mendo Headlands.
But if you are at the same spot as people like this......... wouldn't that make you one of them.
I have found lots of gear period. I have also lost gear even when I didn't do anything dangerous. Like when a caribeaner broke or I just let something slip out of my hand but it was to cloudy to find.