Kayaker rescue La Jolla

[ful-rac]

Jim don't worry about Danno retiring....

The great Drake has returned to sing you to sleep every night from now on.... !

[Dannowar]

hey i didn't retire, i sold out.

[Stuck20]

Originally Posted by Phishphood

Stuck- check out the webcam before you even start loading up and then check wX and cam again before you head out. It'll save some headaches.

Also, wanna hit LJ some time next week?

Definitely will! I (stupidly) only checked one weather website and it said 5-10mph winds, which I'm used to handling at Dana. Lesson learned.

Weather permitting- I'll try LJ again on Tuesday. It's my only free day next week.

[BigAppa]

Well, I guess I'll pop my posting cherry for this one. First off, I'd like to sincerely thank BWE contributors for all the advice they've given in this forum. From the advice I've picked up here - rigging tips, launching spots, fishing techniques, etc. etc. etc. - I've been able to take a lifelong casual hobby and turn it into a passion. So again, to all those who have shared your knowledge, thank you.

I've been kayak fishing for about a year and a half now, and I've fished all along the Southern California coast, from Gaviota to La Jolla in many different types of conditions. For the last two weeks, I hadn't been able to get out due to family, work, and weather conditions. If I go more than a week off the water, I'm a jittery wreck, obsessively checking BWE, rewatching Youtube videos, checking surf reports, just to feed my addiction a little bit. So when I saw a small window of opportunity this past Tuesday morning, I took it.

I checked the usual reports, showed up at Leo Carrillo, checked the conditions, and launched into easy 1 to 2 footers. The wind was blowing about 8 knots, there were a few white caps, the swells were about 3 to 4 feet. I knew the wind was supposed to pick up later, but I thought it was fishable as long as I'm off by one. I had become pretty comfortable with this place, having launched from there about 50 times or so over the last year and a half, and I had fished in similar conditions. So I started my paddle out.

About a mile offshore, the conditions started to change. That's when the words I've read here many times, and repeated again in this thread by Jim Sammons, occurred to me: "There will be other days to fish." I should have listened to my instincts then and turned around, but I figured I'm almost there. I'll just take a look at the bottom and see what I can find. Of all the advice that have been given on this site, that is one of the most important to me: Remember that there will be other days to fish. I should have listened to it, but I decided to ignore it because I thought I could handle whatever situation arose, and because of this decision, I came as close to losing my life as I ever have.

I finally get to the spot, paddled around a bit looking for marks, and decided screw it, it's getting way too sketchy. I started heading back without making a drop. Instantly, I knew this was going to be trouble. The winds had picked up to what felt like over 25 knots. Swells were about 5-6 feet and breaking at the top, but worst of all, these swells were hitting me from all sides: the very definition of washing machine conditions. I was getting knocked around badly, And I came close to flipping several times. I managed to paddle to about a mile offshore when a series of swells hit me. I lost my balance, and a small wave broadsided me at that exact moment, and I went into the water.

I was wearing a pfd so I bobbed right up, and luckily, the leash on my fishing pole had wrapped around my leg so the kayak didn't get a chance to drift away. This is the part that is the most frightening when I think about this moment: The currents were so strong, I wonder, what if the kayak had drifted away from me? What would have happened? Even though I'm in decent shape, there was no way I could have swum back to shore, not in those conditions. I do always have my vhf radio with gps and dsc with me, so I probably would have been okay, but who the hell knows?

Anyway, thankfully, I was smart enough in at least one respect: I had practiced self-rescuing techniques multiple times in different conditions as per the suggestions on this board. But, in those conditions, it was still a challenge. My first attempt failed. Didn't get high enough. Still not worried. Tried again, got most of my body on board, when a swell came and tipped me over again. Tried a third time, and the same result. Now I'm getting worried. I was clinging to the kayak, in the middle of those swells, and thought about making a Mayday call for the first time ever because I'm getting tired. Really tired. I'm in my forties. I think I'm in pretty good shape for my age, but it's amazing how quickly your energy saps in those conditions. I tried one more time, and I managed to stay on followed by a huge sigh of relief.

It took me another hour to paddle back to shore, almost flipping multiple times along the way bc now I had water in my hull. When I finally pulled my kayak onto the beach, I just sat there for a good thirty minutes, just feeling numb.

I haven't told my family about this. I don't really see the point of worrying them needlessly. I just told a good buddy of mine and now this community. It's actually quite embarrassing talking about this, how stupid I was, but hopefully, other new or relatively new kayak fishermen can take something away from this experience.

So heed the warnings that have been repeated here on multiple occasions about fishing with a buddy (another huge mistake on my part), vhf radio, how overconfidence can kill you, etc. And especially for pig-headed people like me, always remember that there will be other days to fish.

Now, if the conditions look bad from the start, and I have to ask myself, "Should I just wait?" Or if I'm already out on the water and the condition takes a turn for the worse, and I wonder "Should I head back in?" The answer will always be, "Yes."

[ctfphoto]

BigAppa, welcome and great first post, scary stuff.

[cabojohn]

BigAppa-
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience here. Glad your OK and ready to fish again. NO need to be embarrassed.
When shit goes south...it goes quickly!
Having ALL the right safety equipment and a clear head is priceless!
Knowing when to NOT paddle out is just as important. Glad you got a second chance.
When in doubt...CHICKEN OUT.

[Jim Sammons LJKF]

Wow, glad you are ok and Thanks for sharing.

[Murray]

Great post mate. I am sure it will serve its purpose well with all the folks who will be reading it. Thanks again for sharing.

[ctfphoto]

I have only had to chicken out one time, that is, in a canoe on a lake in Canada.

I had my wife and 4 year daughter with me and the wind swells where intense as we got to the launch ramp. Fishing guide after fishing guide came in and one looked at me and then my daughter and said "your not out in that?"
He looked real salty (fresh water guy) and I took his word for it. Packed up and sat it out. Two hours later the lake was glass and we got to go out.

Almost had thunderstorm cells kick me off La Jolla this year, but the weather app told me that I had a window to get a yellow.

Always be safe.

[skrilla]

A dry jittery wreck or wet and shipwrecked... 1st world problems I tell ya. Kayak fishing is a helluva drug.

[YakDout]

Bigappa,

Is a bilge pump something you take with you? Im sure it would hve been difficult to pump your boat out in those conditions because as soon as you start pumping you start drifting further away. But in smaller conditions, bilge pumps can prevent major problems.

[driftwood]

Real nasty conditions off La Jolla right now. Hope nobody got caught in this today. Snotty out there!

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[the dude]

too many good days in socal to fish the bad days.....

[Harry Hill]

Originally Posted by the dude

too many good days in socal to fish the bad days.....

It's hard to turn around and go home when you've driven 100 miles to a fishing spot, but sometimes you have to

[Batmann]

Originally Posted by Harry Hill

It's hard to turn around and go home when you've driven 100 miles to a fishing spot, but sometimes you have to

I know that La Jolla seems to be on everyone's mind, but if your looking to salvage a day after driving 100 miles why not drive five more miles south and fish a sheltered part of Mission Bay or San Diego Bay?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[Harry Hill]

Originally Posted by Batmann

I know that La Jolla seems to be on everyone's mind, but if your looking to salvage a day after driving 100 miles why not drive five more miles south and fish a sheltered part of Mission Bay or San Diego Bay?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

I have to fish the bays until I get a better yak, the Ascend FS12T is not a big water boat, I was taking on water today in a little wind chop, I think surf would try to drown me.

I fished Mission Bay today and did good the spots but I would like to get out and catch some eating fish.

[BigAppa]

Originally Posted by YakDout

Bigappa,

Is a bilge pump something you take with you? Im sure it would hve been difficult to pump your boat out in those conditions because as soon as you start pumping you start drifting further away. But in smaller conditions, bilge pumps can prevent major problems.

Yeah, you're right. That was definitely part of the issue. I always keep a bilge pump, extra paddle, and emergency dry bag in the hull tied to a scupper. This is the first time I've needed any of those things. After I got back in my kayak and organized my gear as best I could, I opened my center hatch to see how much water got in. In my self rescue exercises, I noticed water would always get in the front hatch. Not a lot, maybe a pint or two. But on Tuesday, I don't know if the front hatch straps were loose or the currents were that strong, but there looked to be several gallons sloshing around in there after I righted my kayak.

The main issue was that the currents kept pushing my kayak broadside into the coming swells, into the 5 to 6 footers that were breaking at the top, and I did not want to flip again, but this time, with the center hatch opened. So I decided to forego the bilge pump and try to make it in.

I've thought a lot about the bilge pump issue the last couple days. Whenever I thought about having to use it, I never envisioned that the conditions would be so bad that I wouldn't be able to use it. Well, now I know. There are times when it's too risky, at least for me, to have the center hatch opened to pump the water out. The only solution I'm aware of is to put an electric bilge pump in the hull like some of the sit-inside kayakers have, and with a flip of a switch, pump all the water out through a hole in the side of the kayak. I've been thinking about installing one of those, but I've come to the conclusion that as a person who wants to keep things as simple as possible while I'm out on the water, it's just not for me. I think I'll just have to use better judgment going forward.

[BADASS]

wow that made for good reading. Think before you post.And have a good vhf radio with GPS.

[Tandem Assassin]

Originally Posted by skrilla

I wonder if the outcome would be different if they pacticed underwater rock carrying.

If this had happened on Pacific Warriors someone would of said to get the "F" out of here this is my spot - Now that's a show for PW..

[jorluivil]

Originally Posted by Harry Hill

It's hard to turn around and go home when you've driven 100 miles to a fishing spot, but sometimes you have to

I did it a few weeks ago


Showed up
Prepared kayak chupacabra for its launch
Got rejected, twice
Broke a cable during launch
Not wanting to fish blind I put my tail between my legs and went home

200 miles round trip.