Author Topic: SUP Ocean Rescue today in South Florida  (Read 8466 times)

Deadbait

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SUP Ocean Rescue today in South Florida
« on: July 29, 2015, 03:09:40 PM »
I was out today with my son on our SUP’s for the mini-lobster season here in South Florida, doing some SUP free diving.  We like to drift dive with the currents along the reefs in our search for lobster.  On our first drift we pass a lady that looked like she was hanging out catching some rays about ½ to ¾ mile out.  So we headed back South for our second drift, we pass her and as we get closer she is sitting on her board crying and calls out to us – “Help, I can’t get back in” as the winds had started to pick up, she couldn’t get her board to head to shore, so she was just headed due North along the shore with the current and wind.

So, luckily for her, our dive gear includes one of those suction cup handles that we attach to the front of one of our boards, then we attach a leash to the handle.  This way when we dive down, one man can handle two boards, as they are attached together.  So, I tell my son to suck the handle to the front of her board and put my leash on the handle.  Then I try to give her some quick instructions on paddling with the wind and body position on her board.  Then start the long paddle in.  It’s not that far, but with the wind and the extra weight, that was a workout.  (She was a little on the heavy side, and not too young either)
 
We get to shore and I ask her if she has some friends on the beach and she says no.  So I ask her where she parked and she points upwind about a mile and it’s right around where we parked.  I tell her to jump off and start walking and I’ll tow her board and meet her up there.  I told her it would be easier to paddle up wind (now getting 12+ mph with gusts) without all the extra weight. 

We to her spot, drop her board on the shore and get a small thank you and paddle up wind a little further to our spot, when my son says, where’s you lobster net?  I saved the old lady and lost my net, and no lobster.

Going to try again tomorrow.   Hopefully no ocean rescue.

Anybody else ever have to rescue someone?  Just last week here, two girls got blown out to sea about 3 miles on rental SUP’s and had to get picked up by ocean rescue jet ski.  They had a phone, my old lady didn’t even have a life vest or a leash.

PDLSFR

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Re: SUP Ocean Rescue today in South Florida
« Reply #1 on: July 29, 2015, 04:21:09 PM »
A couple years ago I was in Narrigansett RI at town beach but closer to a spot called the narrows catching some decent waves solo along with a couple guys surfing on sea kayaks, when out of nowhere this older guy paddles out on the cheapest looking kayak I've ever seen and attempts to catch a wave. Needless to say the guys upside down hanging to his Kayak for dear life and unable to stay above water. I paddle over jump in and get the guy on my SUP and manage to get back on my boars with his waterlogged half sunken Kayak in tow behind me. I get him to shore and his son thanks me over and over while he sits there looking embarrassed and exhausted.

Guy had a life jacket but had zero expirence in waves and no reason to be out there that day, I'm sure he would have eventually driffed in to shore and been fine but he was indistress so why not help when you can.

My second ocean rescue...well you can read the  Sudden Cardiac Arrest thead for that one.
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breakbad

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Re: SUP Ocean Rescue today in South Florida
« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2015, 04:43:56 PM »
I had to "rescue" some dude who took a 11' coffee table out in near head high surf without a leash. He lost his board, was getting cleaned up, made no attempt to swim for his board 20-30 feet away. He was barely floating, white knuckling his paddle. I saw this giant board heading towards some people (including kids) playing in the surf. I jogged down the stairs, across 150 feet of soft white sand, dove into the surf and swam about 50 yards, fought off a shark, got on his board, paddled it over to him and said "need a lift". Never got a thank you, he just rambled on something about his girlfriend that is out shopping and can buy him a leash. He got on his board, I had to swim back. This was all after a grueling 2 hour session. I slept well.

Don't expect thanks, they usually aren't intelligent to begin with. Just save the sport some face.

Zooport

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Re: SUP Ocean Rescue today in South Florida
« Reply #3 on: July 29, 2015, 06:14:54 PM »
I had to "rescue" some dude who took a 11' coffee table out in near head high surf without a leash. He lost his board, was getting cleaned up, made no attempt to swim for his board 20-30 feet away. He was barely floating, white knuckling his paddle. I saw this giant board heading towards some people (including kids) playing in the surf. I jogged down the stairs, across 150 feet of soft white sand, dove into the surf and swam about 50 yards, fought off a shark, got on his board, paddled it over to him and said "need a lift". Never got a thank you, he just rambled on something about his girlfriend that is out shopping and can buy him a leash. He got on his board, I had to swim back. This was all after a grueling 2 hour session. I slept well.

Don't expect thanks, they usually aren't intelligent to begin with. Just save the sport some face.

Fought off a shark too?  All without even getting your hair wet, I'm sure. 


« Last Edit: July 29, 2015, 06:17:54 PM by Zooport »
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Caribsurf

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Re: SUP Ocean Rescue today in South Florida
« Reply #4 on: July 29, 2015, 07:17:50 PM »
I rescued a drowning squirrel in a strong river tide.  Poor guy was swimming in place against the current in the middle of the river and about to give up.  I gently flipped him on the deck of my board with my paddle and escorted him to the river bank where he quickly scampered up the bank into a tree.

on the human side, I haven't rescued anyone but have warned people of the changing tides or offshore winds and recommended they get closer to shore, which they appreciated very much. 
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SeldomScene

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Re: SUP Ocean Rescue today in South Florida
« Reply #5 on: July 29, 2015, 07:33:50 PM »


(She was a little on the heavy side, and not too young either)..  i saved the old lady and lost my net ... They had a phone, my old lady didn’t even have a life vest or a leash.

What are you, in the eighth grade?  How old was she agsin?  80?  40? 

TallDude

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Re: SUP Ocean Rescue today in South Florida
« Reply #6 on: July 29, 2015, 07:49:16 PM »
A couple of years ago during a downwind race on Big Bear Lake. The winds were blow'in hard. It was more like a rodeo downwind because of all the weekend boaters cutting right in front of us and between us leaving these huge troughs. We had enough speed to almost fly over them, but you'd hit the other side and take it like back wash. It'd just launch you.
I hear someone yelling "help" behind me. I look back and one of the racers was in the water. He didn't have his leash on and the wind had blown his board way ahead and he was losing ground. He may have had a waist type of PFD, but he hadn't deployed it. I put the brakes on, which was almost impossible in that wind. I managed to get my unlimited turned sideways and blocked his board. I tried to stay stationary with his board as he drifted towards me. He got back on his board and said "I got it now." That's it. I guess I felt good about helping him? 
It's not overhead to me!
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exetersup

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Re: SUP Ocean Rescue today in South Florida
« Reply #7 on: July 29, 2015, 07:59:57 PM »
SeldomScene,
Do you have a hankering for Ed Abby?

supthecreek

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Re: SUP Ocean Rescue today in South Florida
« Reply #8 on: July 29, 2015, 08:25:43 PM »
Nice work DB.... don't mine the tackless.

Today, I paddled over to a mother and young son on boogie boards.... they were 100 yards out, and drifting through the line-up in a rip.
"Are you experienced on a boogie board or are you beginners?"

" This is our first time"

"You are in a rip and going quickly out to sea.... start paddling hard towards shore, till you catch a wave.... I'll keep and eye on you"

"yeah... I could feel the rip.... we'll head in soon"  ::)

"Go NOW!"... and they did.

Preventative medicine.

I leave the real rescues to PDLSFR.... he's is good at it :)

Off-Shore

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Re: SUP Ocean Rescue today in South Florida
« Reply #9 on: July 29, 2015, 08:48:26 PM »
We have a bunch of open ocean swim races here and a couple of us provide support on SUPs in addition to other people in kayaks and surfskis and boats. Standing up you get to see more of what is happening. Usually I take up the rear with the slowest swimmers. My role there is to make sure they know I'm there to help if they decide to call it a day. Over the last two years I've been priviliged to bear witness to first time ocean swimmers battle their demons and their bodies to make it to the finish against all odds often hours behind the next last person. I've also experienced those who are unprepared who cramp up, vomit, panic, or start swimming way off course. Being able to be there at the right time to help them either get to the finish or make the hard decision to give up is a mixture of pleasure and pain. We are most often thanked graciously either way, but there are a few who curse us for asking them to stop. Either way I feel honoured to be out there with them watching them take on big challenges. Drowning out there is not the thrashing around you see in the movies. It is quiet, and generally a quick slip under the surface. We watch very very carefully..
« Last Edit: July 29, 2015, 09:14:35 PM by Off-Shore »
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Zooport

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Re: SUP Ocean Rescue today in South Florida
« Reply #10 on: July 29, 2015, 09:53:00 PM »
It was sort of lame but, years ago, I was out prone surfing in shoulder high surf and heard a body surfer calling for help.  He was in the middle of a rip tide and could not get back in.  I paddled over to him and asked if he wanted help and he said "yes"  Got off my board and gave it to him then swam laterally along the beach towing him by the leash.  Got out of the rip and pulled him in.  It was not epic conditions and the rip was not that strong, pretty easy to get him in, but I suppose I helped the guy.
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Deadbait

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Re: SUP Ocean Rescue today in South Florida
« Reply #11 on: July 30, 2015, 01:17:21 AM »


(She was a little on the heavy side, and not too young either)..  i saved the old lady and lost my net ... They had a phone, my old lady didn’t even have a life vest or a leash.

What are you, in the eighth grade?  How old was she agsin?  80?  40?

I guess you missed the point of my post. 

I might have overused the term old, because most people over 40 should have enough common sense not to get themselves into dangerous situations.  If I had to guess, my girl was somewhere in her 40's or early 50's.  She had no basic safety equipment and she should not have been out past the surf zone with her lack of experience.  After she got comfortable with me towing her, she started blabbing about how she just got her SUP last week and this was her third time out.  I used the term "heavy side", so you could get an idea of the effort that went into pulling someone behind my SUP. 

I guess the small thank you I got at the end made it easier to act like an 8th grader online.  I thought she would be a little more grateful.  She was literally sobbing on her board. 

In the end, I hope my high school son learned that it is important to stop and help someone that could be in a potentially dangerous situation.  I pointed out to him that she didn't have a leash or life vest, while we were fully prepared with our life vests, dive flag, fishing licenses and all the equipment needed to have a safe and successful trip.

It's awesome to read all of the stories posted here.       

covesurfer

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Re: SUP Ocean Rescue today in South Florida
« Reply #12 on: July 30, 2015, 01:22:42 AM »
A couple of years back, Headmount, Southbay and I self shuttled from Kahului Harbor to Maliko for a late afternoon run. The wind was good and there was a nice windswell running.

Nearing the end of the run, maybe 2 and a half miles before you reach the harbor mouth, we passed the popular windsurfing and kiting beaches at Kanaha. Up ahead, I spot Southbay, sitting down on his board and a person in the water with windsurf gear next to him. With the smokin' conditions, I hadn't seen what happened, focusing mainly on the waves right in front of me.

At first, I wondered whether they'd had a collision. Then, I thought, oh, maybe it's someone that SB knows and they're chatting. As I got closer, I realized the person in the water with the sail had no board and Mr. Headmount was approaching at the same time. As we reached the scene, it became apparent immediately that this was a person in trouble. It was a woman who was probably in her 50's and she did not seem to have great water sense. Southbay had already committed to helping her out and she was in the process of trying to mount his board and still hold onto her rig (sail, mast and boom). We were out 3/4 of a mile from the beach and downwind of us was the rocky jetty of Kahului Harbor.

The woman was insisting on hanging onto her gear and it was clear that other than providing a floating platform, SB would be unable to paddle with her dragging the rig in the water. They might even end up hitting the jetty. I politely then more forcefully tried to persuade her to abandon the rig. She wasn't seriously listening. Headmount saw the danger and the hopelessness of the situation if she didn't drop the gear and basically told her, 'you have to leave it, it's not a choice!' I think she may have been partly in shock. Finally, she let the gear go and SB was able to paddle her into the beach at Kanaha. HM and I went to the harbor and HM went in his truck and retrieved SB.

It all turned out fine but it could have gone very bad. It was the wrong move holding onto the rig rather than retrieving her board and letting the rig go. Even in the wind, you can sometimes grab the board if it separates if you move decisively, like your life depends on it. Because it very well could.

I was surprised at the lack of urgency the woman seemed to have about her dire situation. The rig will eventually sink and acts like a sea anchor. You certainly cannot swim and tow it. It may tow you but it will likely sink at some point. The good thing was that SB spotted her. I don't even like to contemplate how things would have turned out if we hadn't come along and spotted her.

Southbay was pretty much a hero that day. I'm not sure the victim realized it but I sure did. If that were me in the water, I would have bought him a dinner at Mama's for picking me up. Headmount also deserves a lot of credit for taking stock of the situation and insisting on the right course of action without any more debate. When someone is in the water like that, it is probably best to take control and insist on a course of action that is well thought out. By the time you're floating in the water for an hour, you're probably past the point of making good decisions.

yugi

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Re: SUP Ocean Rescue today in South Florida
« Reply #13 on: July 30, 2015, 03:32:39 AM »
... When someone is in the water like that, it is probably best to take control and insist on a course of action that is well thought out. By the time you're floating in the water for an hour, you're probably past the point of making good decisions.

yep. Good job taking control and making decisions non-negotiable. Inexperience and distress makes for some really stupid calls.

A large part of lifeguard training is about getting out of the grips of the person in trouble. When panic sets in they try hang onto you putting both of you in danger. Be aware of this. People can do some really stupid stuff.

Speaking of stupid I've seen some unbelievable stuff in the mountians. Just beyond belief. Yet even in Switzerland there are more deaths form drowning than avalanches per year. So Big Up to all of you who've pulled someone from danger.

Darwinism at its best for the most part. Sadly not always.

Off-Shore

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Re: SUP Ocean Rescue today in South Florida
« Reply #14 on: July 30, 2015, 03:44:32 AM »
I
... When someone is in the water like that, it is probably best to take control and insist on a course of action that is well thought out. By the time you're floating in the water for an hour, you're probably past the point of making good decisions.

yep. Good job taking control and making decisions non-negotiable. Inexperience and distress makes for some really stupid calls.

A large part of lifeguard training is about getting out of the grips of the person in trouble. When panic sets in they try hang onto you putting both of you in danger. Be aware of this. People can do some really stupid stuff.


+1 on this. My experience on safety duty for open ocean swim races is after 2 - 3 hours in the water when people start to struggle they are not in the best state to make good decisions. We carry loud whistles and when it is clear a person is not heeding our verbal instructions and they are "out of it" we use the whistle and take on a firm and authoritarian tone to get them to a) listen and b) do what they are told. It is amazing how a whistle can make a difference in these situations in a race type setting to keep things safe.
« Last Edit: July 30, 2015, 03:55:24 AM by Off-Shore »
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