Re: [Paddlewise] Landing a victim through surf

In a message dated 98-11-06 10:34:44 EST, kolsen_at_imagelan.com writes:

<< Around here there tend to be 3 choices of equipment for the life guards,
 a double handled "torpedo", an oversized flotation belt with a short (roughly
 3 foot) tow rope with shoulder loop, and an overstuffed surfboard.
 
 In dumping waves I would probably chose the retrieval belt.  The harness
 loop goes over the rescuers shoulder and the flotation belt goes around the
 swimmers chest, the swimmer then gets towed in backwards.  With the short
 tow rope you get to keep the swimmer away from you. >>

Can you translate the above into what an average sea kayaking group can best
do with equipment at hand --- and that's probably not more than a paddlefloat
or two and maybe a contact tow line --- to get this guy to the beach, Kirk?
How does what he's wearing --- a PFD, maybe a neoprene farmer john and a
helmet --- influence what a lifeguard would do?  Given what our group probably
has to work with, and assuming the surf was too big and the victim too weak to
effect his own landing in any reasonable safety --- both to himself and to
others --- how do we adapt your surf lifeguard techniques and equipment to
save this guy's life?

Jack Martin
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