Once Capsized Newbie

Hello everybody! My name’s JT, and I’m running an Ocean Kayak Trident 13 that I bought used with a Garmin Striker 4. I’ve been out at HMB 3 times and successfully caught rockfish once. Unfortunately, the last time I was out at HMB on 5/15, I unexpectedly encountered some big swell (8-10 ft.) and capsized my boat. Lost all my fishing gear but managed to keep my paddles, survival kit that was tied to my yak, the yak itself, and most importantly my life. I’m here to get safety tips and knowledge about the right conditions to fish, etc.

Looking forward to seeing you guys out on the water and trying new spots!

Check multiple weather sites prior to heading out! First rule! I like Windy.com and of course NOAA, and one else have a favorite sire for checking weather/water conditions?

I check Magic Seaweed and call the harbor as well. I just made the mistake of going out on a strong incoming tide right at the turn from low. I got into trouble at a rock I had marked where the water went from ~50 ft to ~30 feet, so the 4 foot swells doubled in size then one crested at the top and turned my boat sideways, then kaboom! I was in a bad situation at 8:45 am.

Rough! I like magic seaweed as well! Glad you made it out of the water ok! Have had a couple of close calls myself! I always try to have a yak buddie out with me but for some reason always seem to fish alone on rough/ windy days

Welcome to NCKA.  I'm glad your wreck didn't turn out worse than it did. 

I check Magic Seaweed

I got into trouble at a rock I had marked where the water went from ~50 ft to ~30 feet, so the 4 foot swells doubled in size

Magic Seaweed is basically a beachcomber's forecast, IMO - useful, but not a primary indicator of overall conditions.

If swells got big at a 30 foot pinnacle it sounds like you were out on the wrong day - or maybe over by Mavericks?

Anyway, you're doing the right thing to enquire here and to show your willingness to learn and proceed with caution.

Best of luck~   

Welcome aboard JT 

LoletaEric I was about 1/2 a mile out of the harbor in close proximity to the 1st green buoy on black hand reef. What weather app/site do you recommend for kayaking?

There are multiple sites you should check.  Some sites are more accurate to certain spots than others.  Surf forecast is probably more geared toward surf conditions, which could be different beyond surf lines.  But this is a sample of what I used:
magicseaweed.com (and other surf forecast sites)
https://marine.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-122.48709&lat=37.48337
https://www.windy.com/?36.788,-121.925,13

Was it King's Rock?  Either way make sure to avoid that rock as I've seen it break out of nowhere many times.

There is no 1 perfect forecast site, some sites are good for certain spots and bad for others.  Or good for certain weather systems and not accurate for others. 

I use a combo of WillyWeather, MagicSeeWeed, PredictWind, and sometimes just random ones to see if they align.  When you see different sites with different forecasts that's usually a bad sign.

I like WillyWeather because it charts their prediction and actual so you can see how accurate they are for that weather system and it tells you where the data is coming from.

HMB is actually a decent place for predictions because the airport is right there with a wind speed gauge.

Best thing to do is when you get to a spot see how conditions match the prediction.  If you ever are nearby (even if not fishing) do a quick stop and cross check. 

What weather app/site do you recommend for kayaking?

I look at NOAA/NWS first - it tends to vary the most, but that's OK if they're trying to dial it in.  Looking at their call for 0-10 nautical miles out and also looking at what's going on 10-60 nm out is useful to know what's coming next and could get here sooner or have a significant influence on the nearer to shore forecast.

I add in Windy.com, Stormsurf, Magic Seaweed and go from there.

Web cams and current buoy reports are important too.

The advice to check multiple sites and to compare actual conditions to what was predicted is spot on.

The best way to get good at ocean conditions forecasting is to devote yourself to it on a regular basis - whether you're heading out or not.

^^^^  Always willing to abort launch if in doubt no matter how hard you've gotten ready to a launch, however long you've driven, and/or  [fill in the blanks].  Staying alive is a pretty good incentive.

Welcome! Hope you had a radio and dressed for immersion when you went out.

Alot of folks that go to HMB in the beginning make the mistake of going west towards Mavericks right out of the jaws....there's a reef there. Better to go south towards the other green and go around the reef to avoid breakers. 

Wow, the response to my post has been amazing! Thanks to all of you guys! I’ll answer everyone in this post as opposed to individually.

The first thing I bought a month before my kayak was my PFD. It’s not great for fishing as it has just 1 pocket, but it’s functional. I use a standard horizon hx 890 radio with GPS. Haven’t registered for an MMSI number yet, but will do so soon. I always wear my 3/2 O’Neill wetsuit, no question about that, and I keep my flare gun, phone, keys, wallet in a pelican case tied to my yak. 

As far as specifically which rock I was at, I really don’t know. I’ll be saving all the sites mentioned and comparing all of them to make sure they all align. Again, thanks to all for the warm welcome.

Welcome TW.
HMB Webcam:
https://www.samschowderhouse.com/about-sams/samcam.html
not the best view, but you can get an idea if other folks are going out.
  I've paddled out of Jaws plenty of times, didn't feel right, and turned around and gave the inside of the Jetty a shot for RF. Sometimes even that breeze in the harbor can give you a work out. Team up for safety!
Glad to hear you made it back, sucks to lose gear.

Welcome JT and you've come to the right place to get safety advices