Almost Died Today

Joined
Jun 21, 2001
Messages
2,861
Glad you are ok....I love being on the water myself and always respect it :)
 
Joined
Sep 19, 2004
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2,406
Glad you're OK. That had to be scary, maybe more than scary.

Good luck with the recovery. :thumbup:
 

Cobalt

Gold Member
Joined
Dec 23, 1998
Messages
16,527
Glad your ok. I had a similar experience so I can relate. This happened while I was still back east on a Friday night about 1 year ago on a very dark and chilly night. It was during one of my many scotch tastings I hosted for some friends and myself. We had all started with the blended scotches before graduating to the single malts. By the time we had made it to bottle number 10 we were all kinda twisted and I decided I was going to drink straight from the bottle of Glenmorangie, well I put it to my mouth and tilted my head back, the bottle went straight down my mouth and got stuck, all the while draining in me. As I started to black out, I had a choice either spit the bottle and it's contents on the floor or just blackout and see if I wake up later or not. My friends were to far gone to help me and mrs cobalt was asleep in the chair. I tried but I could not bring myself to spit out such fine scotch, in a bit I started to see two bottles, then four, then eight, it was incredible, it was almost like seeing a bright light at the end of a tunnel, so wonderful. When I got to 64 bottles, something slapped the bottle out of my mouth and when I looked it was the devil himself. I said "what did you do that for, you a-hole" and he said, "I don't have enough scotch for you and me both down there, so you are not invited to my party...."
 
Joined
Jun 14, 2006
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, something slapped the bottle out of my mouth and when I looked it was the devil himself. I said "what did you do that for, you a-hole" and he said, "I don't have enough scotch for you and me both down there, so you are not invited to my party...."

This was like the first time Cobalt and I met.:thumbup:

.
 
Joined
Mar 10, 2002
Messages
19,805
your lucky and probably had an alert guardian angel. i used to kayak once, gave it up for rafting so i could enjoy a good cigar and scotch while still moving down the rivers. you might give that some thought :thumbup:

.
 
Joined
Nov 25, 2005
Messages
2,638
I am just reading this and thinking WOW! That was close....too close. I am happy for you that it turned out well. It's true that life is precious and one day it will end. Glad it didn't for you!
 

Bigfattyt

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Joined
Jun 23, 2007
Messages
19,169
I have had more than my share of near death experiences. I have had a .30-06 bullet come so close to me I felt the air brush me. 3 wheeler accident (broke ribs and tore diaphragm and almost suffocated in the van on the way to the emergency room, I laid down on my back, then after breathing out, could not breath back in, and could not even move....till mom saw me turning colors and grabbed me upright), near misses with motorcycle accidents, almost broken my neck several times, and the two worst experiences ever have been near drowning experiences in water (one a neck injury that left me at the bottom of the pool for a while).

Just something about near drownings that stick with you. Hopefully you feel better, and it gives you some perspective.
 
Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
376
As much as i love the water, i have a certain respect for it, even more after this story... Sorry for your experience...
 
Joined
Nov 9, 2004
Messages
214
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. It was a good reminder for me how precious life is and to keep on fighting even if things are tough.
I wish you well.

Dan
 

JTR357

Gold Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2007
Messages
13,133
Glad you're OK Man.

I almost drowned a couple times & I know the feeling you're talking about.It's a horrifying experience.Eventually time heals all wounds.Just hope you can learn from this experience.
Everytime I go deep sea fishing,I always wear a life jacket now.

Take it Easy,
 
Joined
Jan 10, 2003
Messages
5,057
Water does not forgive mistakes. Fighting for your life underwater is indeed a lonely experience. I've never grown afraid of the water but experiences similar to yours have taught me an immense respect for it and taught me to prepare as much as possible. Glad you won the fight, that's what it's all about.
 

Cutshaw

Moderator
Gold Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Messages
7,273
Glad you're ok, bro. Lack of air, whether it's a grab loop inside the skirt or getting pushed down repeatedly in a recirc hydraulic, is no fun and can bring some perspective to things.

Spooky when it happens, for sure. Assuming you're heading back out, you might practice blowing the skirt while underwater by placing both hands behind you and pushing against the back deck just behind the cockpit combing. I've got some tight neoprene but by rolling forward while handpressing the back deck, they will all blow the skirt.

I've had students slip the grab loop inside the boar before. We started slipping duct taped wiffle (sp?) balls around the grab loop to remind them and give a larger fixture to grab when bailing out of the boat.

Forced exit was one of the first reasons I stopped wearing "water sandals" in a kayak. Though most kayaks nowadays use movable bulkheads rather than footpegs, it is easy to get a sandal strap caught on your way out. Dive booties are a much better alternative when in the boat.

Glad you're safe, buddy. :thumbup:
 
Joined
Jan 21, 2005
Messages
2,394
I know the feeling. I got stuck head down in one of those stupid tubes that gets towed behind a ski boat in a freak accident scenario. Only there was no calm; just dead panic. Glad you survived, man.
 
Joined
Jun 29, 2005
Messages
16,379
WOW, that was to close for comfort:eek:

Glad you made it, I know you fell VERY glad to be here today.

I had a few close calls while whitewater canoing in my late teens and early 20's. The last scared me so bad I gave up the rougher water before I was 25.
 

barrabas74

Gold Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
8,031
Glad you're ok, bro. Lack of air, whether it's a grab loop inside the skirt or getting pushed down repeatedly in a recirc hydraulic, is no fun and can bring some perspective to things.

Spooky when it happens, for sure. Assuming you're heading back out, you might practice blowing the skirt while underwater by placing both hands behind you and pushing against the back deck just behind the cockpit combing. I've got some tight neoprene but by rolling forward while handpressing the back deck, they will all blow the skirt.

I've had students slip the grab loop inside the boar before. We started slipping duct taped wiffle (sp?) balls around the grab loop to remind them and give a larger fixture to grab when bailing out of the boat.

Forced exit was one of the first reasons I stopped wearing "water sandals" in a kayak. Though most kayaks nowadays use movable bulkheads rather than footpegs, it is easy to get a sandal strap caught on your way out. Dive booties are a much better alternative when in the boat.

Glad you're safe, buddy. :thumbup:

I hadnt thought to try that Paddlin Man, I guess I just had so much goin through my head. I hope I can get my composure back together enough to go back out some time. This is the first bad experience I have had (hope its my last) Kayaking, never been caught in Hydrolics but I have heard thats a scarry thing. I hope it does not discourage anyone from trying the sport, its great fun. Indeed I have a greater respect for water, I didnt have it for the flat stuff and it caught me.

I am VERY glad and have a different perspective now on my life. I definatley feel different today, everything seems different.
 
Joined
Oct 3, 1998
Messages
175
I had a similar experience 5 or 6 years ago. While floating down a lazy north Georgia river my kayak flipped and the paddle got away, leaving me upside down in about 3 feet of water. When I couldn't get the skirt loose, I started trying to use my hands to push myself back up from the bottom - but my arms weren't long enough for me to get my head above water. That's when it dawned on me that I was in trouble and my family was just far enough downstream that they couldn't reach me in time. I shifted my attention back to the skirt, which finally gave way and let me free of the boat. I was only under for a minute or so, but it felt a lot longer - like you said, its a strange feeling. Glad you're okay, brother.

Mike
 
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