Thanks to Papio3 and Stinkytofu, you guys are lifesavers!

Glad your Safe Kevin and this story had a good ending.

NCKA=One for all and all for one!
Glad no one got hurt or worse
Mad props guys,
Tad
 

+1

lesson Learned is that I shouldn't have jumped into the water without my radio. Communication is key when crap happens. I hope this never happens again but I'll be ready if it does. I applaud squidder for posting this topic up for everyone to learn about it.

 

I also would like to add safety-wise to leash the paddle to the yak (to some that still don't). I took a nasty spill @ HMB while riding a wave (safety class) and my paddle wasn't leashed to my yak. I learned that swimming while holding a paddle is almost impossible to do.

We can agree to disagree on this issue. IMO, leashing is fine when away from surf (entry and landing). Leashing during surf entry and landing can get you all tangled if you flip your kayak - a very dangerous situation when your rolling inside the surf. If I feel that I'am not in control of my yak when dealing with surf, I would gladly ditch the (unleashed) paddle and fall back to the ocean side and stay clear of the kayak. The paddle will float away but it will stay afloat for later retrieval. The kayak will also make it back shore eventually and so my priority would be to get to shore as safe and as fast as possible. I'm no expert but I've learned from my mistakes from the past.

...be careful when swimming with a paddle, I've hear stories of paddlers wrenching their wrist,arms and shoulders while holding on to 'em in the surf line.

Glad you guys made it safe...."paddler first, fisherman second" = words to live by!

* a safety whistle is also good to have - not all VHF radios function well when submerged.

I also would like to add safety-wise to leash the paddle to the yak (to some that still don't). I took a nasty spill @ HMB while riding a wave (safety class) and my paddle wasn't leashed to my yak. I learned that swimming while holding a paddle is almost impossible to do.

We can agree to disagree on this issue. IMO, leashing is fine when away from surf (entry and landing). Leashing during surf entry and landing can get you all tangled if you flip your kayak - a very dangerous situation when your rolling inside the surf. If I feel that I'am not in control of my yak when dealing with surf, I would gladly ditch the (unleashed) paddle and fall back to the ocean side and stay clear of the kayak. The paddle will float away but it will stay afloat for later retrieval. The kayak will also make it back shore eventually and so my priority would be to get to shore as safe and as fast as possible. I'm no expert but I've learned from my mistakes from the past.

...be careful when swimming with a paddle, I've hear stories of paddlers wrenching their wrist,arms and shoulders while holding on to 'em in the surf line.

Glad you guys made it safe...."paddler first, fisherman second" = words to live by!

* a safety whistle is also good to have - not all VHF radios function well when submerged.

+1, never leashed in the surf zone, off shore leashed while fishing and paddle in my lap tucked under the beer muscle cameron

I do agree with you on that one, Joel. Do leash after you get away from the surf zone. I was just pointing out how hard it is to swim with a paddle especially when separated from the yak. When I fell off, I wasn't actually doing a landing or launch. It was in the surf zone but still far from the beach (where the sup guys where surfing). My instructor was just teAching me how to ride a wave. I wouldnt have reached my kayak (unless I dumped my paddle) if my instructor wasn't there so +1 on always going/fishing with a buddy.

Lesson learned:

Never go alone
Never go without a radio (yes I had mine)
Always wear aPFD
Always wear a wet or dry suit

But most importantly...
Never doubt your NCKA brothers!

Being saved by NCKA brothers: priceless!

Kevin -

Glad your OK and the heroicism from Stinky and Papio are admirable. Since the purpose of this post is educational, please don't take this as criticism.

1. Almost every bad situation (except shark attacks), begins with somebody who can't self-rescue. Really this should never happen. If you are in the surf zone, you can push the yak in font of you up to the beach or grab the bow or bow line and swim it out of the surf zone then self rescue. If you can't afford a class, go to to Del Valle and practice. I swim every year, it's just part of the sport. When you rig your boat, keep one side clean for re-entry. Make sure your PFD is properly adjusted and doesnt hang up when you self rescue.

2. What ever happens, don't panic. It's just water. Think through your options, make your decision and go for it. Nothing good happens when you panic.

3. In an assisted self-rescue, the rescuer stabilizes the kayak from the opposite side. The rescuer should NEVER go in the water unless someone is underwater. Once you are in the water, the hypothermia clock is ticking.

4. Many VHF's don't work well when you are in the water and water gets on the microphone. People need to check the performance of their VHF's in the water and wet. If it doesn't transmit well, get a dry bag. Navy Seals keep their VHF's in dry bags and their VHF's are way better than ours. Also, make sure you are on the highest transmission option.

5. Some rescue agencies charge for rescues. Another reason to not get into a worst case scenario.

Scott

Very happy to read that you're OK, Kevin.

Howard

I can't add anything new (very very glad this is a positive outcome story, been getting tired of the other ones...), but posting this up for all of us to read is AWESOME.  We can all learn from these situations, those of us with little experience, or "too much" experience.  Telling it like it is/was is a courageous act in itself, living to tell it WAY BETTER, helping others know what to do/expect/not do..... PRICELESS

mad props and hugs to all 3 of you!

I am glad you guys are all OK.

1. Almost every bad situation (except shark attacks), begins with somebody who can't self-rescue. Really this should never happen. If you are in the surf zone, you can push the yak in font of you up to the beach or grab the bow or bow line and swim it out of the surf zone then self rescue. If you can't afford a class, go to to Del Valle and practice. I swim every year, it's just part of the sport. When you rig your boat, keep one side clean for re-entry. Make sure your PFD is properly adjusted and doesnt hang up when you self rescue.

+1
If you are going to fish off a kayak, you must know how to self rescue. How many times have we all read "I Shouldn't Be Alive" accounts by our members every year because someone could not perform a self rescue? NCKA has been very fortunate so far in that these accounts have ended well due to assistance from fellow members, passers by, and the Coast Guard. PFD should fit properly and worn correctly at all times on the water. A PDF in your milk crate will not help you stay afloat should you go into the drink, nor will one that is not zipped up and worn properly.

3. In an assisted self-rescue, the rescuer stabilizes the kayak from the opposite side. The rescuer should NEVER go in the water unless someone is underwater. Once you are in the water, the hypothermia clock is ticking.

+1
NEVER go into the water to help right a flipped kayak. You can help the kayaker in the water by performing a T rescue. The whole time you are in the water to help another person right their kayak, your kayak will be drifting away from you. Good luck swimming after your kayak if the wind was blowing like it was this weekend.

@ mooch had the whistle, and was going to use it if the radio failed.  It is leshed to my PFD.

@ Herb:  Paddle stays leshed as I don't play in the surf.

@Papio, while at Wind Toys, I bought a new hatch, and broke down and got the one thing I didn't have, and that was a Pump.

I was able to get the boat over and get into it, the incoming water from the loose hatch screwed my attempts up, but I do agree I need to get out and practice a lot more than I have as of late.  One thing I did notice was the center of gravityand resistance related to gear has a greater effect than I had previously thought.  While rods and reel are leshed one fell out of the sliot and one stayed, it made it slightly challenging flipping it back over.

@ everyone, I will be going to take some lessons and practice, practicve, practice some more.

Glad it worked out well for you...nothing sticks in your head like a "lesson learned". Papio and Stinky, enjoy the free beer that I'm sure will be headed your way at the next NCKA bash! 

Thanks for sharing your experience w/us Kevin. Im relieved to hear you're ok and ready to get back out there...practice practice practice. One of the things I'll take away from this is to keep my hatches closed tight & latched at all times, especially when pulling traps. And stradling the yak is a good idea too.

Wow, great job everyone, and thanks for sharing for the rest of us to take note and brush up our skills.

With respect to those who play in the surf, I am sure there is a different technique for that.  I myself haven't, I can see where your coming from.  I can only state my paddle lesh sure made it a lot easier for the guys to keep my boat from getting away.  There always pluses and minuses to everything.