swift water rescue class

This isn’t an ordinary fishing report but it’s a report from today. So Bill, if you don’t like it here you can move to somewhere else…

I know I’ve been missing a lot of good fishing opportunity due to my weekend job.    But since I work on the river (Yuba) I had a chance to take the swift water rescue course this weekend.
I learned a lot but I’m still processing them.  I found out that many of the things that I would do in this type of situations were actually wrong…    It’s hard to really explain it but the pictures say a thousand words and if it’s not enough then the movies will follow…
I don’t know if it’s necessary, but many people had concerns about safety in kayak fishing (yes, I got trapped on swift water last year while steelhead fishing at the Russian River ask Mickfish for pics…), so if you’re interested here is this instructor’s info.
www.highlandrescue.com

Here are the videos




Please, do not try this at home...

I went to a 2 day course with The Sac Fire Academy, I was so stoked,  for about the first 10 min

 We got our Butts kicked ,

 The most frightening part was the " Combat Rescue "

 You subdue a combative victim and then get swept down stream,

@ one point we went over a set of falls and in tring not to let my fellow Cadet get knocked into Rocks,

I lost concentration and let my feet " Dangle " down and they got caught,

I was underwater, stuck, holding on to my Partner unsure if he was underwater too,

I decided to let go and would try loosen my feet, which was most likely not going to happen,

i was stuck in a rapid,

Just then, the next set of cadets came over the falls and knocked me lose.

 I got to the shore, coughing and hacking..

I heard the instructor say,

 " OK, not bad, let's try it Again.... "

  " F@!#@ You "

 Comes from my Drill Master, who was also participating as well as other Academy instructors,

It appears that everyone that participated on that run had a near death experience...

 Class Dismissed!!!!

 

doesn't sound like a professionally run course Danglin. I do all my swift water certs with Julie Munger from Rescue III INTL. Her organization is the top trainer for SAR personnel.
We use a different set of protocols for kayaking swift water rescue. It's more applicable to our community than what a firefighters needs would be. They rescue people from low head dams, submerged vehicles, and flooded areas. We need to know how to swim rapids (not little class II ones), retrieve a pinned boat or trapped paddler, use throw bags to aid from the shore and what order of procedures to follow for a kayak rescue scenario. The Russian river wouldn't qualify as an adequate training ground for such an event, you need big water to hone those skills.
   

THANKS for the POST, Naoaki!  that water must have been COLD when it SHOT DOWN the neck of your wetsuit and straight to your WARMEST AREA!    

If and/or when i get to do a river with current, i'll be sure to invite you! (and your crew)

sorry i don't have a STORY to add    

Here's Naoaki or as I call him the Kayak Kowboy doing a swift water rescue on Jim's borrowed kayak.

Looking at that series of pics (good ones mike) you can see the downstream eddy created by the kayak. A paddler could have ferried across the river and slipped casually into that eddy. From there a line could be attached to the bow and then pulled free by a shore crew. That would prevent a risky swim and cowboy scenario although it looked very High Speed!!

doesn't sound like a professionally run course Danglin. I do all my swift water certs with Julie Munger from Rescue III INTL. Her organization is the top trainer for SAR personnel.
We use a different set of protocols for kayaking swift water rescue. It's more applicable to our community than what a firefighters needs would be. They rescue people from low head dams, submerged vehicles, and flooded areas. We need to know how to swim rapids (not little class II ones), retrieve a pinned boat or trapped paddler, use throw bags to aid from the shore and what order of procedures to follow for a kayak rescue scenario. The Russian river wouldn't qualify as an adequate training ground for such an event, you need big water to hone those skills.
   

Considering the amount of close encounters we had, I have to say your right.

 I think we were on the Upper Mokulome or American in  late march with a very strong flow,  Like you said, not really

 appropriate for our usual water rescue, unless severe flood with levee breaks ect...

Most of our " Water Rescues " are " Recovery " anyway.

The Sacramento River and The Foothills river system accounts for more drownings in all of California,

 These Beauties are not to be taken lightly ...... Danglin

I earned my chops on "The Killer Kern". It was given that name because Mexican immigrants unfamiliar with the rapids would ride down to their doom in INNER TUBES.

Upper Kings River is fun and challenging too. I raft it a few times each year. Even tried canyoneering the North fork once...broke my fishing pole and lost some gear that day. Good times!

thanks for the great pics and video, kayak kowboy!
PK

I did a swift water rescue course for a week on the Russian at Squaw many years ago. It was fun and challenging. We had perfect conditions. It had just poured for a couple days and the water was blasting around Squaw Rock. Swellrider, normally I'd agree with you on the Russian, but the time we were there it was cranking through the rocks. One day was also held in the surf. It was a great time to try out the techniques and gain some confidence. Not much time for making wrong decisions for sure. Good stuff.

slipped casually into that eddy

That's what I was hoping to do and maybe with a smaller boat or being a stronger paddler I could have. I could get to the boat but as soon as I stopped paddling I only had a couple of seconds to grab anything with the kayak upside down there wasn't anything to grab. That eddy was mostly on the surface the water was fast, and turbulent from the bottom structure. I wasn't too worried as the water slowed quickly below and max depth was 4' flow was 1200cfs air temp was in the low 70s.
We learned a few lesson's that day.

Danglin, that is foot entrapment & that's super dangerous stuff...
We're just bunch of biologist working on the river, so our class wasn't hardcore as yours...  Our class was more to do w/ self rescue & rescue person from the shore.  The instructor was super professional & kept us in very controlled safe environment.  I had a blast!  

Adam, please, don't count on me...  do you remember, I can not swim...  but I got pretty good throwing throw bags, so now I'm gonna go get a throw bag.
& by the way, the water was 48 oF...

Mickfish...  I wasn't be a cowboy, just pure stupidity...but if I went home w/out the kayak that day, I would be a jobless & homeless...

Uminchu, if you're going to get a throw bag consider the wildwasser tow and throw. It's worn around your waist with a quick release buckle. You can tow kayaks to safety or pull out the throw bag and use it that way. I even use mine to attach my anchor to my waist rather than the  boat. This lets me toss it away in seconds if the current is too strong.

I've used swiftwater rescue techniques on four or five real life situations, even a little bit of training goes along way towards confidence in a crisis.

Danglin, that is foot entrapment & that's super dangerous stuff...

 I've been hurt more times " Training " than in real situations....

 I think part of it is, they want to scare us

I've used swiftwater rescue techniques on four or five real life situations, even a little bit of training goes along way towards confidence in a crisis.

Thats no Bull,  And that Modified Truckers Hitch is Da Bomb for tying Kayaks to the roofs of trucks

 Go to get up there and fish with ya swellrider........

 Or, get down here when we get these Dino's dailed......... Danglin