Hand Pump s/b mandatory

I got a Seattle Sports hand pump about 3yrs ago because it was on sale @ REI. I bring it w/me every time (inside the hull of my T140). And I never had to use it until yesterday.

Dan and I fished near Carmel yesterday and one of our buddies fell in while working a snag. He was about 1/4 mile offshore and maybe 1/2 mile behind me [we were slowly working out way back to the launch] when I heard a garbled transmission on my VHF. I began to respond when I heard a loud yell and saw the bottom of Dan's loaner T13. I quickly hailed Dan on the radio and told him someone was in the water and need help. I don't think I ever paddled so fast.

At first, we couldn't get the yak upright. It was tough to flip it over and we needed to get our buddy out of the water ASAP because he had waders on too. Once we flipped it and got back on, it immediately sank under his weight! It rolled over and he went back in the water. That's when I realized the Rod Pod was taking in water. By the time we flipped it over again, it was completely full of water. Barely floating thanks to the air trapped inside plus the pool noodles LOL.

I was so glad we had my pump because we got the water out pretty quickly--first through the Rod Pod then through the front hatch, after we got enough water out to push the nose down and pump more efficiently.
We also learned that it will suck up any fishing line or bait inside the hull btw. And potentially clog the pump.

After getting back on the yak, we tried to replenish w/water and snacks. I was worried about hypothermia at this point so we began the long paddle back to our launch. After warming up, he made the call to keep fishing for a while longer--and it turned out to be a beautiful day OTW.

Lucky for us, it was flat calm with no wind. And luckily I had my pump! Otherwise, I'm not sure what we would've done. I probably would've jumped in the water and got him on my yak then had Dan tow the sinking T13 to the nearest beach with me holding onto the back LOL. But that sounds like a pretty bad idea, so I'm glad we had my pump!

Lesson learned: get a pump! And bring it with you.

Thanks for the report, good stuff. Nice coppers.

Thx for sharing the experience Pat. I never considered carrying a pump cause I like to pack lite, but I'm gonna reconsider.

Right on Sin Coast an experienced kayaker.Great job guys

In the ocean my pump is strapped to the front of my yak, just in case. Fresh water I'm never too far from shore or help and don't usually bring it.

I forgot to add the Rod Pod (new modpod) hatch only had 1 strap closed. The one towards the front was unsnapped. And I think the weight of tackle & gear pushed it open while upside down. Everything was in a small soft-cooler, which is a great idea...something that I do too. But it was pretty heavy and I think it Probably only open an inch or so, but that was enough to fill the hull 3/4 with water. Then once righted and reboarded the hatch took in more water as it was neutrally-buoyant and briefly submerged.
Like I said, go get a pump and bring it with you because you might need it one day!

What an experience!! I'm glad that everything turned out ok, but that is why it is important to have partner/s that are experienced just in case anything goes wrong.

The night before, I spoke with my buddy about what to wear: wetsuit or waders. After discussing that wetsuit is the way to go, my buddy was leaning to wearing that. However, he changed his mind and went with the waders. That made it even more challenging for him to get back on.

I'm glad that our dear friend was safe and that we all ended up with some fish

Word of advice: don't ever go out on the big blue w/o a pump and proper immersion gear 

Wow, I'm glad everything turned out ok.  I have a pump but I never bring it. I will from now on.  I just have to find an accessible and out of the way location to store it. 

Agreed. As I've stated many times on here, polepole saved my ass on SPB by lending me his pump after I rolled my yak with the hatch open.

Great team work guys!  Thanks for sharing your experience Pat.

+2!  Pat and Daniel experienced kayakers that come fully prepared. Wetsuit, pump, skills.

Always have one with me.  Plus its handy to pump sand out of the hot tub, or drain a fountain...

+1 on all that was sais.

For those of you who are concerned with the pump taking up space, I have mine on a rope, one end tied to the pump, the other end tied to my hatch cover.

Peace!

And you've got to wear your PFD pretty tight to keep it from riding up like in the pic!

Glad to hear everything turned out okay; and you actually got on the fish after.

Since the GS incident, I too now carry my pump (and tow rope) with my any time on in the ocean. you never know when they might come in handy!

Great job fellas!