news report: santa-cruz-kayaker-rescued-after-being-caught-kelp?

At the risk of being made fun of, I have been caught in kelp and stuck before.  Fortunately, my hero, Batt came to my rescue.

However, I always try to be prepared for anything that might come up now. 

i read that article but it didn't say how he was entangled. what on the bottom would have caused the tangle? yaks are either smooth bottom or they have the flippers underneath or the direction assistance guide in the back. is there something else that could have been underneath hat would have caused the tangle?

Glad this turned out OK.

That's a generous offer Allen.          My best guess is that was a Sit In kayak that he swamped.     If so those take a whole different skill set to get back into,  especially if solo.   Without floatation inside, its nearly impossible.

     It seem like there's an awful lot of kayak fishermen, ( newbies )  that have never really practiced re-entry from a SOT
Might be cool if we offered a group lesson / practice session somewhere.      Off the beach here at Santa Cruz, where they can practice a little surf entry/exit.   
     I'll extend an offer to help out.             If it helps prevent a near tragedy like this, it would be well worth the time spent.

you said a mouthful there Jim!
I would be down to help as well, and could always use more practice.

I could see this happening easily in an SIK if the paddler didn't have a paddlefloat or pump. The kelp would just exacerbate the situation by making everything more difficult.

An attitude I see often this time of year are the folks who like fishing "getting in" on the kayak craze. Somehow their existing skill in fishing is mentally translated to skill in paddling when in reality they are two different skill sets.
A one day intro-to-paddling class on the type of craft you'll be using (SOT or SIK) is invaluable and could save your life, so do the local economy a solid and take one.
Kayaking is the hard part, the fishing part is easy. The catching part can be tough sometimes though....

I guess he wasn't fishing with a "buddy"?  It would be interesting to know more. 

My neighbor was shore fishing at time of this event and called the authorities to send help. He said the individuals boat looked thoroughly swamped and was riding very low in the water.  Its a good thing the boat was in the kelp and not drifting out and away. 

Allen that's a great offer to send out. I was solo on my kayak at SC during that time and it could have easily been someone like me, who hasn't had any one on one safety and just drifts out to fish!

That's a generous offer Allen.          My best guess is that was a Sit In kayak that he swamped.     If so those take a whole different skill set to get back into,  especially if solo.   Without floatation inside, its nearly impossible.

     It seem like there's an awful lot of kayak fishermen, ( newbies )  that have never really practiced re-entry from a SOT
Might be cool if we offered a group lesson / practice session somewhere.      Off the beach here at Santa Cruz, where they can practice a little surf entry/exit.   
     I'll extend an offer to help out.             If it helps prevent a near tragedy like this, it would be well worth the time spent.

It would be great if we could have something like that. Last year I got dumped in a rental SOT kayak from Capitola Boat and Bait and could not get back in. I was taking my bro-in-law out and since he didn't have a kayak, I rented one for myself and let him borrow mine. Unbeknownst to me, the rental had a slow leak in the hull and after a day of paddling, water had filled up the hull half way. It was basically impossible to get back on. Each time I tried to get on, the yak would flip again... it was like a plastic tube on a pinwheel.

Luckily it was a flat day and I was fishing with a group of NCKA'ers so everything turned out okay. It could have easily been me in that  article if I was out there alone. Good thing the folks at Capitola Boat and Bait will be replacing their rentals with Santa Cruz Kayaks. It was a fellow NCKA'er in a Santa Cruz that saved me. I just stepped on one of the pontoons and got right back on to the SOT rental without having to tilt it back and forth so much. I paddled back to the dock and when we pulled the yak out of the water, it was full of water.

In accessible sharp knife is a wonderful thing!  Don't leave shore without one.