Sar

[flipe8]

It's funny how regional differences cause such different risks. Being that seakayaking is my thing above everything else, I've trained and spent plenty of cash to get the most out of my paddling experiences. Unfortunatley, it's the boneheads whom give my sport a bad name and it's basically all preventable. I shake my head when I read about mishaps around my parts and most the issues stem from simple ignorance.One spring, I remember being out with a bud in full immersion protection on the Bay and coming across a lady paddling a wash deck kayak with nothing on other than a Kway-type jacket and spray pants. But she wasn't alone; her 30-or-so-lb. dog was on the sit-on-top with her While I wouldn't normally say much to most paddlers on the water, I literally couldn't help myself and started a converstion with her. I said everything short of "You're gonna DIE if you come off that boat out here." trying to get her to turn around. She just happily took my info into consideration, and said she'd stay close to shore in one of the coves, but had no intention of stopping. In the end, the bud and I paddled some distance behind her until her paddle was over. I know it wasn't our responsibilty, but I couldn't bring myself to leaving someone out there who truly had no business being there. The same goes for the mountains, desert, whatever,...To take these environments so lightly is bordering on criminal, but people do it every day.
While I'm not certain regulation is the answer, some education and personal accountability has to be stressed.

 

[jca21]

^ you would hate vancouvers North Shore...there is approx 3000+ mountain bikers in peak season.......

uh... more like 5000 ..... ever since they rebuilt alot of the whistler runs.

heck sfu gets a couple hundred each weak in peak season.

 

[Mountainman38]

.... I will start off with a story of my own, but I am NOT a SAR member and do not profess to be.

Just in the right place at the right time.

Me and a few of my friends went on a spring canoe trip. Small river but moving fast because of rain. We stopped at a little bend in the river for lunch and a family was having a barbecue. While we were eating lunch, a little girl with water wings was playing in the waters edge. Then got deeper, and DEEPER and finally, the current caught her. The family was oblivious. My friends were oblivious. Out of 10 people, I was the only one that noticed. I am a decent swimmer, but not the best swimmer and it took me every ounce of energy to swim downstream, grab that 3 year old girl and pull her back to shore. I was completely exhausted. There is NO WAY she would have made it.

So let's hear some stories of rescue by all of you folks. SAR or otherwise where someone was in mortal danger and you pulled their chestnuts out of the fire.

Carl-

Ok, I've got one. Not an SAR story, but one similar to yours.

Your water rescue story reminds me of the time I was a skinny 13 year old, and at summer camp for the first time. While swimming in the lake, one of my friends got too tired to make it back to shore. He didn't freak out (thank goodness, or there's no way I could have helped him), but started kind of sinking and barely bobbing back up. He couldn't swim anymore, and managed to let me know he was about to go under.

I didn't know anything about water rescue, so I got behind him and gave him a push towards shore. This of course pushed me backwards, so I had to swim forward and give him another push as he started to go under. This went on for what seemed like an incredibly long time (we were only a 100 feet offshore, probably), but we finally made it back. We were both completely exhausted, but I really think I may have saved his life.

Thanks for bringing back that memory!