Missing kayaker in Mission Bay..

[mo2vation]

Originally Posted by bluesquids

Amazing. The fact it drifted that far and didn't get hung up on kelp. I also thought that something thats negative on the surface only gets more negative as it gets deeper. Anyway, I posted the story on the UT comment section to let them know they got their facts all wrong.

I'm a diver, and this is sort of true.

I've been talking with some buddies about this - now we don't know if its his boat... but if it is, wow.

The only thing we can come up with are these:

• Its possible it was just barely positive. Like when you fill a gallon milk jug with water and toss it in the pool. It makes a heck of a splash, and takes minutes to rise to the surface. Its possible once he got off the boat that the boat became positive eventually and drifted along, mostly under the surface onto the jetty.

• Something within the hull off-gassed. Maybe the battery, or several batteries, or other things that got wet. We dive with very powerful NiMH batteries in our lights and scooters. When these things get flooded, they give off all kinds of gas, often blowing the lid or latches off the light or scooter. Its possible something within the hull off-gassed sufficiently, filling the hull enough to get this thing to float.

There may be other things - if I recall the story, it sank either bow or stern first (not keel first) - so it could have become some big red plastic pencil was bobbing along just barely under the surface for a couple of weeks like some flooded lobster bouy.

I can't wait to hear back from Big Barrels to hear if its his boat. I mean, just wow. IIRC, the boat wasn't compromised - the hatch had water pouring into it from the bait pump. Dude can get out a brush and likely clean this boat up and have it back out this weekend.

Whatever happens, this is the material legends are made of:

• The kayaker who's boat sinks out from under him, scrambling he finds himself adrift, alone, offshore.

• Keeping his head together, and with a hand of grace, dude tries to shake down several passing crafts, only to be denied. Not losing heart, he sees another kayaker.

• The great Samaritans in these Kayaks that the fisherman spots pluck him from the cold sea and give him their shoes and blankets.

• The kind hearted and hard core dude doesn't want to ruin the day of his benefactors - now warm enough he grabs a rod and straddles the bow for 90-minutes and fishes with them.

• The story is posted so we now have hundreds of paddlers and fisherman who modify their gear, think about what might have happened and become more safety aware after the incident.

• Weeks later, the Lazarus boat - rising from the depths.

And, of course, the Forum that tracks this all moment by moment.


Somebody call Tony Scott or JJ Abrams. This is the stuff of Hollywood.



-Ken