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| SAFETY: A Good Start http://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=11656 |
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| Author: | boogie-d [ Sun Jan 25, 2009 11:53 pm ] |
| Post subject: | SAFETY: A Good Start |
I hope you had a great holiday break and that you are safe and well. This is the time of year I go over safety and try my best to make people understand just how important it is. There is nothing more important in kayak fishing as having all of your safety equipment in order and knowing how to practice safe proto call. In the last 2 weeks there was a tragic accident on the island of Hawaii. The incident involved three kayaker anglers who got into some serious trouble. A man and woman in the area with a small skiff went to help the three men. The man on the boat died when his motor stalled and his boat was blown into the rocky cliff. The wife was thrown into the water and the man was trying to help her get back in the boat when a wave smashed the small boat into the rocks causing the man to hit his head hard. This was a fatal blow and he died because of it. One kayaker was blown down the coast and one was able to get out of the water and back to the site of the boat. The woman and his friend were still in the water and he was able to help them get out of the water on a very lava rocky shoreline. The boat then caught fire. Later the dead captain and boat were recovered by fire rescue. The other kayaker was picked off rocks by a passing dive boat. Mr. Robert Lewis died helping out fellow kayak anglers. This is a very sad and tragic story. Follow the link here and it will lead you to the story that was released in a local news paper. http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/articles ... ocal02.txt Please read the above story very careful. You will see that Robert Lewis is a true hero for being a Good Samaritan and helping a fellow ocean going angler. He died tying to help kayak anglers in distress. He died for people he did not even know. This man will forever be a hero and remembered for his valiant efforts. There is an effort in the kayak community to help the surviving wife of the fallen hero. The local kayak outfitter, P&P kayaks, has set up a fund to help the grieving family in need. Robert Smith was a son, a brother, a husband, a father, an uncle and survived by all of his family including his parents. This is a major loss for all them. Please help us in contributions to this grief stricken family. Donations for the family will be given directly to the surviving wife. P&P kayak on the big island is accepting the donations and you can use a credit card or a debit card to contribute to the family. The number for P&P kayaks is (808) 880-1400. You can ask for either Kate or Kelly. Please take the time to honor Robert Lewis. He is a true hero and his family can use all the help they can get. No money can ever replace Robert Lewis but we can help the family. It is our duty and we need to do our best to. Thank you In this month article my concern is all about safety. We need to do everything we can in order to assure that we return home to our families and that we don’t in danger other people. We also need to enforce these safety concerns with every kayak angler possible. There is so much that goes into kayak fishing safety it’s hard to find a beginning point. I will start with health. Kayak fishing is a very active sport and requires a physical demand on your body. So before you start kayak fishing you need to figure out if you’re strong enough for it. Eating right and an exercise plan will help put your body on a decent course. Strength training and building programs are good ways to get in shape and stay in shape. Dehydration is a key issue in the human body and we need to make sure we are properly hydrated before we paddle out and catch fish. Proper sleep the night before a fishing run is essential for the body and the mind. Alcohol and drug use before kayak fishing is absolutely intolerable. Remember also, it is possible that at any moment in life, you could suffer a stroke or heart attack and this could happen at time on the water. You will see how important it is to wear a life vest at all times. This may be the only thing that could save your life. You need to make sure your body and mind are healthy and ready before you venture out on a kayak fishing trip and that you are prepared for anything that’s possible. Start slowly when beginning kayak fishing. Take short runs and build your strength before you try any long distance runs. Time on the water will make you wiser and stronger. Take your time building up to big kayak fishing missions. Make sure you build your strength and are healthy. Also, make sure to take the necessary time it takes to have increased your abilities before you decide to go hard core. Now that you’re healthy and ready for a kayak fishing mission you must become a master of the weather. The weather is the most single deadly thing that can turn a fun day of fishing into a fatal event. You almost need to become better than a meteorologist for your own well being. Get very familiar with you local waters and the conditions in your area. Use every possible weather tool available to you. There are many National Weather Service phone numbers you can call. The internet provides many options when it comes to figuring out the weather. Local news stations will provide weather information that is also useful. It is very wise, to be absolutely sure of the condition before you paddle out and that you determine if it’s going to be a safe day for you. With that said it is always very critical to do one last check before you paddle out. Weather can change so fast and quickly it can catch you off guard. Just before you paddle out take the time to make some last minute calls and weather checks. Absolutely be positive the weather conditions will be safe for you and your abilities. Even after all your checks and observations the weather can turn on you and become deadly in a matter of minutes. One last thing about weather you need to dress in the right clothes. Hypothermia is deadly and dangerous even in the waters of Hawaii. Wide stiff brim sun hats are a must. Good gloves are also very important. Sunglasses are another must have. Make sure you have the proper clothing before paddling out and that you know what the weather has in store for you. Always remember the weather can change and be very unpredictable so be ready. Now you’re healthy, strong, and feeling good. You have the proper clothes for kayak fishing and you got the weather all dialed in. You’re ready for fun day of catching fish from a kayak. The most important things in kayak fishing are personal safety. In kayak fishing it’s very critical that before you get carried away buying a new pole, or a new reel, or getting your kayak all tricked out with some fancy electronics; make sure you get the basic safety items first. You will see these are the most basic items and essential to have on every trip. These safety items are a must have for all kayak anglers. The first thing to purchase when beginning your kayak fishing journey is a good PFD, also known as a life jacket. This single item is one of the most critical pieces of all your safety gear. You need to be able to wear it comfortably all day long so make your choice wise. The life vest should be made of strong construction and fit snug and well. PFD's should be worn at all times and be coast guard approved. The PFD should also feature some large pockets for storing emergency safety items. There are many reasons for wearing a PFD. The most single significant reason is a medical emergency. There is just no planning for a stroke or a heart attack. If you were to fall into the water during a seizure or stroke and with out a life jacket on, most likely you would die. Really think about that. There should be no other reason besides this alone to wear a PFD at all times. So far, the U.S Coast Guard only requires that a life jacket must be aboard a kayak. If you are one of those anglers who keep the life jacket in your kayak hull think again. A single stroke or a heart attack could put you in the water at any moment and with out time to put on a PFD. In this scenario, you would most certainly drown. There are many other reasons for wearing a PFD. Your kayak could become damaged with a crack and leak till the point of sinking. In Hawaii it is possible for a whale to come up unseen out of the deep blue and breach thus landing right on a unsuspecting kayak angler. A sudden storm could blow in out of now where and catch you off guard and flip your kayak. Careless boaters can cause a kayak angler to flip. Just recently in a kayak fishing tournament I did a deep water huli by reaching back to check a rod and getting off balance. There is just so many reasons to ALWAYS wear your PFD. Please never go kayak fishing with out wearing a solid and well equipped life vest. What is a well equipped life vest? A well equipped life vest is one that is loaded with tools that could potentially save your life. In the event you were to quickly and unexpectedly end up in the water, or find your self in severe and adverse weather conditions, or you find that you become the effort of a search and rescue there a many items available that will help increase your odds at surviving and getting home. If you find yourself in distress one of the first things you will want to do is notify some one. What are the best ways to do this? A cell phone is a great item to have in your life vest. Hopefully you will be able to make a 911 call and be able to get in touch with family members. There are a few new water proof cell phones available and these are highly recommended. If a water proof cell phone is not for you there are many types of water proof cell phone bags and containers readily available for cheap that can be used with cell phones. I use a water proof flip phone plastic pouch. This allows me to use my phone with out it getting wet. What ever your choice make sure you have your cell phone available and in your PFD. The next piece of equipment that is a must have in your PFD and on you at all times is a VHF radio. These water proof units are cheap and readily available. A VHF radio that has a weather channel function is a real bonus and allows you to constantly monitor weather situations. When choosing a VHF radio you want to purchase a unit that has the longest transmitting distance these are the most effective in reaching someone when in distress. A rechargeable VHF unit allows for longer use times and less battery waste. Choose your vhf radio well. Another great item to have on your life vest is a hand held GPS coordinator. Having one of these handy devices will allow you to give exact coordinates to search and recue personnel. Having the rescue team know your exact location will make for faster recovery times. Having a cell phone, a VHF radio, and a GPS device will really increase your odds surviving an emergency. These three units ensure that when your in serious trouble you will be able to contact someone and let them know exactly where you are. This is very, very important and can save large amounts of time during a search and rescue. The faster you notify of an emergency and are found the better your odds at survival. Other items to have on your life vest and with you at all times are a whistle and a mirror. These are very cheap items that are readily available everywhere. Whistles and mirrors are very useful for search and rescue victims. Reflecting light can be seen from a very far away and whistles are much louder than the human voice. These simple things will help rescue people see you and hear you better in dangerous situations. Another great thing to always carry in your life vest is a trailing safety streamer. These yellow and reflective attractors are deployed in the event of a kayak fishing emergency and can be easily seen night or day by search planes and helicopters. The equipment safety items listed above are very small and useful items that could save your life and should be worn with your PFD at all times. You just never can be too safe when it comes to your life. We have a duty to our families to come home after a long day of good fishing. Always wear a well equipped life jacket. There is a lot more to kayak fishing safety besides just a well equipped life vest that is worn at all times. A well equipped life vest is only the beginning, and a must have for all anglers to be worn at ALL TIMES. The Kayak itself offers more room for additional safety gear and equipment. There is much more you can do to insure that you will get home safe and make it through extreme situations. One thing that is very valuable to have on a kayak is a set of swim fins. These can be used in emergency situations and make a world of difference if you had to swim. I never go out without my swim fins. Another piece of safety equipment I take with me every time I go out is a surf board leash. I secure the surf board leash to the bow line and keep it coiled and ready to put on. In the deep water, or in any kind of wind, or waves, I always leash up to the kayak. Leashing up is also very good for coming in through strong beach surf. A surf leash is a very useful tool when it comes to helping another yak angler in distress. If for some reason you had to jump off your kayak to help a friend in need you would want to be leashed to your kayak so it does not get separated from you. So, I highly recommend having and using a surf board leash. A cheap back up paddle is another item that can be stored in the hull of a kayak. It is all to common the story of the lost paddle and you know the saying, "up sh!t creek with out an oar". An extra back up paddle is often over looked in kayak safety. A very easy item to have on a kayak fishing trip is a pair of water goggles. Either during storms with white out conditions or having to be in the water, a pair of these cheap goggles will really help you be able to see in a dangerous situation. Sometimes it might be that you have to work on your kayak and you have to get into the water to do it. The goggles are a must have for me on every fishing run. Another part of my fishing equipment and my safety gear includes and good stainless steel dive knife and a set of Leatherman stainless steel plier tools. The obvious reason for these tools is mostly for fishing but they also can become powerful tools in an emergency. The Leather man includes pliers and cutters and they have a variety of other safety tools. I always paddle out with the dive knife and the Leatherman tools when ever I hit the water. Any safety kit could include a few other simple and cheap items that could make a world of difference. A coil of some good rope is an essential safety item. Floats can fit into kayak hulls and can really be very helpful during a crisis. Other simple Items of safety are flares and horns. These go beyond the range of whistles and mirrors and can really put out the signal that you are in distress. I have given you a detailed description of all the must haves when it comes to kayak fishing safety, however this still is just the beginning and there is much more to kayak fishing safety. There is one more very important piece of safety equipment that deserves special mention. Its called an ebirp device. These are more costly than other safety items but can you really put a price on your life. This device is a unit that should be worn on the PFD or life jacket at all times. In an emergency you turn on the ebirp and it puts out a very long distance distress call. Basically this safety device notifies every one possible that you are in distress. The ebirp will also give all the responding emergency personnel your exact coordinates. These units are pricy but worth every single penny if you should become involved in an incident where you need to use it. Take the time to consider these very efficient life savers. There are a few more things to go over to make this a complete safety list. It is a very wise idea to make a list of your safety gear to make sure you bring everything. One thing to always do is to tell some one that your going out and establish a float plan with times and details. Make sure you call your wife, a friend, your parents, somebody and anybody, to let them know what you are doing. You will want to tell your response team where you are going what time you will be coming in. You will want to set up a time to call this person and make sure you check out with this person at an arranged time. This is good back up protection and if you become unaccounted for, someone will know about it and they can start a search for you. Another EXTREMELY important aspect of kayak fishing safety is following the buddy plan. This means never entering the water alone and always having a partner. A good partner is crucial. Besides having a life jacket on, a good partner is probably the second best chance at surviving some kind of emergency. Choose your partners wise as they are the ones that will be there for you. At all cost never leave your partner. Just the presence of another person during a crisis can be so relieving it is unbelievable. Your partners need to be of equal strengths and abilities. If fishing partners are not of equal ability you must only go out in a condition the weakest member of the group can handle. You don’t want to jeopardize a beginning kayak angler by getting him involved in something he can’t handle. The last thing I would like to go over with you is personal training and safety courses. I highly recommend that all kayak anglers be associated with the American Red Cross. They have great training available that is invaluable. They offer cheap classes that can really help you understand how to be a first responder in any crisis. There are all levels of training available at the American Red Cross. I recommend starting with some basics classes and then get into more advance training. Once you receive some of the American Red Cross training it’s your responsibility to practice the techniques and train in a matter that would help you be ready and prepared for an emergency. Simulate emergency situations and become adapt at how to deal with them. Make being a first responder second nature. This type of training is very valuable for saving human life. On the last note I can not stress enough the issue of personal strength training and being in your best shape for the extreme sport of kayak fishing. Make sure you work hard, train hard, learn more and keep practicing. Hopefully you will never be in any kind of emergency situation. Kayak safety, water safety and general public safety is a lifetime of studying and learning. We need to give ourselves and everyone around us the best chance at surviving an emergency. I hope this helps people and that you really take safety to heart. Make a list and check it twice. Consider your safety plan very closely and be ready for anything. Aloha and stay safe friends. Boogie-D "I returned to see under the sun that the swift do not have the race, nor the mighty ones the battle, nor do the wise also have the food, nor do the understanding ones also have the riches, nor do even those having knowledge have the favor; because time and unforeseen occurrence befall them all. For man also does not know his time. Just like fishes that are being taken in an evil net, and like birds that are being taken in a trap, so the sons of men themselves are being ensnared at a calamitous time, when it falls upon them suddenly." King Solomon- Ecclesiastes 9:11,12 1000 BC If any one wants to contact me or has any additional safety information they would like to share with me. Please feel free to contact me. I am always ready to listen to different safety techniques and anything that can be added to the above article. Thank you David Elgas aka: Boogie-D web: www.coastalkayaktours.com email: [email protected] snail: 59-444 makana rd. Haleiwa HI phone: (808) 638-9100 cell: (808)234-4047 Hobie Fishing Team DriGrip Fishing Team Windward Boats Halewia Fishing supply . |
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