The guy gave an interview to one of the news outlets. He said he was freediving for crabs and it was a quick, almost gentle bite.  And he described it as an exploratory bite, not an attack.

He definitely lost a lot of blood though. He tried to improvise a tourniquet which didn't hold. A fisherman tried to assist with another improvised tourniquet limited results. 

There are simple rules for applying tourniquets:
-Never around the neck 
-Avoid joints
-If your casualty is crying and begging you to loosen the tourniquet, keep cranking on it until they fight you. Then give it a couple more turns before you tie it off. 

Something to think about adding to your ditch bag.  If you happen to see a City/County Medic, you might ask them for a free tourniquet... all they can do is say No. 

I have a one handed one issued to me when I went to the sandbox.  You can buy these, take them out the packaging and get familiar with them.   I know there is the CAT model and the Rapid stop, there are more, but I am not familiar with those.  You can go old school bandana and a stick, but I try to avoid that.  Another option, and available at REI is using a blood stopper.  It is a bandage with a clotting agent in it, that will aid in clotting. The combination of a  tourniquet first, and a blood stopper second, has amazing results.  It is often possible to remove a the tourniquet later (done by a professional, of witch the majority of us are not one of them, so don't even think about it). The blood stopper if I recall was $50 (maybe).  Not cheap, but what is your kids leg worth?

Quote from: Squidder K on June 10, 2021, 08:35:24 AM

I converted the non retractable rudder to a rear retractable one.

Very cool. Is that a DIY job?

On the Hobie AI, there is a thin plastic rudder pin that takes a ton of abuse and can fail, even when inspected regularly. It's a major PITA to replace it on the water--impossible under rough conditions. It's sort of a sacrificial part that is supposed to prevent damage to the rear of the boat, but I always think there has got to be a better way. The mounting system that you've set up just might be it...

A combo of DIY and bought parts.  I got them from a Port Gamble Kayak shop: Olympic Outdoor Center. I can't to their website right now, but the rudder is the larger of the two they carry.    You will need the correct gudgeon (end piece) for your yak's stern.  The SS cable guides I used were switch over rubber gromits which were not going to work.  The SS guides are really for making a corner in a wire fence in a  4" x 4".  They come in a pack of 20 and are not expensive. About $.50 each  The line is currently left over line I had for replacing on my Hobie Quest's rudder, so I used that, but I see switching to SS cable is in the future.  I aimed for SS where ever possible.  The plug in the original rudder hole is a furniture plastic plug made by Hillman sold at Lowes. About $2.00. I hope that helps.

I think I am one of the last hold out still using a B&W screen. My Lowrance refuses to die, so I keep using it. More so as I found a RAM to Lowrance adapter for it, and it makes it a whole lot easier to move it round when on the water.

I converted the non retractable rudder to a rear retractable one.

Well it would be nice if it could retro fit!

Sonoma County falls under SFVA Correct?  Have you tried hitting up your rec therapy folks for some support?   Also put the order in as soon as possible don't wait with GSA.  It will take a while for it to be processed. be as specific as possible.   Get all the technical data, if you want A given ROD and reel set up, be as specific as you need to be including line and tackle.  I know I worked for the VA for a number of years and know how fracked up purchasing is.    If you can get someone to buy on a credit card (line and hard tackle) and what you can get donated, then what come in later is your replacement stuff.

Nice haul guys!