Chris wrote a good article on the power of the surf. However, at the risk of preaching, I think the better course of action would have been not to have gone out - even to test the current. I know a bit about ocean currents. I spent every summer growing up at the beach, and I was an ocean life guard for several seasons in Ocean City, Md. - one of the toughest beach patrols on the East Coast. You can easily see a nasty ocean current. Another alternative to testing it with your body is to throw a leaf or some grass out, and see how it moves. Chris mentions a sea wall - these can be particularly nasty. In O.C., we have a number of moronic jetties and rock piles (I say moronic because they were intended to add sand to the beach - however they accomplish this merely by robbing sand from one side and giving it to the other!). Jetties, rock piles and sea walls can be deadly in rough weather. We lifeguards were actually taught to take the tourists we were saving and to cushion ourselves with their bodies if we were thrown againt the rocks. Why? Because the city had to pay for the time we took off with cuts and bruises, so better (in their thinking) to let the tourists absorb them! The lesson here is that one should always respect the ocean. It can kill even a good swimmer. There were times I had to go out in storm conditions (ie. 7-9 foot seas) to make rescues, and I didn't enjoy doing it! Under such conditions, the waves are relentless, and you don't have a chance to dive under them. Sometimes you can't even tell which way shore is when you are out there in such conditions! So folks, when in doubt, don't go out! Not trying to pick on Chris, but if you are sucked out into really nasty stuff, your shoes are going to be your last concern! If you are going out in such conditions, DON'T LAUNCH near sea walls, jetties or rock piles. If you approach them when you are out in the sea, give them a wide berth! Finally, if you are sucked out to sea, just try to relax! I know this sounds funny, but the rip tides will wear off as you get further out, and then you can swim back to shore - but only after swimming parallel to get outside the zone of the rip tide. As a guard, I would intentionally swim into a rip tide - it was like an escalator to get out to sea faster! Happy sea paddling! Just respect mother nature, she is much stronger and wilier than we are! - Scott *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
" Chris wrote a good article on the power of surf. However at the risk of preaching, I think a better course of action would have been not to have gone out-even to test the current." Rest assured that such actions will not be repeated. At the risk of falling to the sin of self-justification, clearly the point was to 'test the waters', a plan of action that in the cool light of morning seems to me now a questionable objective (to put it kindly), and dumb-assed stupidity placed in it's proper perspective and context, which is probably vastly more accurate and where where it needs to remain. And also you are right, the shoes (water sock type) are but a bit player in the in the whole melodrama, what I failed to mention in the account is that I had to run over oyster rakes myself to get to her over the sea wall. I be grateful to dem shookies. Loved the bit about the drowning victim/barnacle bumper, explains a lot about our own beloved lifeguard staff down here, they are about to all fly off to their respective colleges to pursue higher volleyball theory, and leave we long suffering surfers finally alone. More than once this summer I have muttered that " I could fix it so that whistle could sound during periods of flatulence as you sleep at night..........." Chris Scott Ives wrote: > Chris wrote a good article on the power of the surf. However, at the risk > of preaching, I think the better course of action would have been not to > have gone out - even to test the current. > > I know a bit about ocean currents. I spent every summer growing up at the > beach, and I was an ocean life guard for several seasons in Ocean City, > Md. - one of the toughest beach patrols on the East Coast. You can easily > see a nasty ocean current. Another alternative to testing it with your body > is to throw a leaf or some grass out, and see how it moves. Chris mentions > a sea wall - these can be particularly nasty. In O.C., we have a number of > moronic jetties and rock piles (I say moronic because they were intended to > add sand to the beach - however they accomplish this merely by robbing sand > from one side and giving it to the other!). > > Jetties, rock piles and sea walls can be deadly in rough weather. We > lifeguards were actually taught to take the tourists we were saving and to > cushion ourselves with their bodies if we were thrown againt the rocks. > Why? Because the city had to pay for the time we took off with cuts and > bruises, so better (in their thinking) to let the tourists absorb them! > The lesson here is that one should always respect the ocean. It can kill > even a good swimmer. There were times I had to go out in storm conditions > (ie. 7-9 foot seas) to make rescues, and I didn't enjoy doing it! Under > such conditions, the waves are relentless, and you don't have a chance to > dive under them. Sometimes you can't even tell which way shore is when you > are out there in such conditions! > > So folks, when in doubt, don't go out! Not trying to pick on Chris, but if > you are sucked out into really nasty stuff, your shoes are going to be your > last concern! If you are going out in such conditions, DON'T LAUNCH near > sea walls, jetties or rock piles. If you approach them when you are out in > the sea, give them a wide berth! > > Finally, if you are sucked out to sea, just try to relax! I know this > sounds funny, but the rip tides will wear off as you get further out, and > then you can swim back to shore - but only after swimming parallel to get > outside the zone of the rip tide. As a guard, I would intentionally swim > into a rip tide - it was like an escalator to get out to sea faster! > > Happy sea paddling! Just respect mother nature, she is much stronger and > wilier than we are! > > - Scott > > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ > *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
At 09:34 AM 8/11/99 -0400, Chris & Ellen Kohut wrote: >>" Chris wrote a good article on the power of surf. However at the risk of >>preaching, I think a better course of action would have been not to have gone >>out-even to test the current." > > Rest assured that such actions will not be repeated. At the risk of falling >to the sin of self-justification, clearly the point was to 'test the waters', a Sometimes I think we tend to be a little too critical around here, to pick apart other's viewpoints or actions for the sake of picking them apart. The bottom line to this story is that had Chris not explored the rip, he might not have been aware of the potential dangers to be paying attention to the swimmers. He was prepared and equipped to deal with it, and did adequately. Then, when trouble broke loose, he moved quickly, used his head, and the equipment he had available -- and did the right thing. Good going, Chris. A cyber-pat on the back to you. -- Wes *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
<<<Having taken part in a recent rescue "attempt" I can add that you cannot take too many precautions. In my case I happened across a power boat with an occupant in a medical emergency. The boat had no means of communication on board for which to summon for help. Should they have had a radio or phone the outcome may have been completely different.>> So what happened already?? Don't leave us hanging. Please give us a few more details. Sandy Kramer *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Wed, 11 Aug 1999 00:32:55 -0400 "Scott Ives" <ssives_at_mindspring.com> writes: >Chris wrote a good article on the power of the surf. >Finally, if you are sucked out to sea, just try to relax! I know this >sounds funny, but the rip tides will wear off as you get further out, >and >then you can swim back to shore - but only after swimming parallel to >get outside the zone of the rip tide. PaddleWisers ... I still vividly remember my first unexpected encounter with a serious rip and that's been over 30 years ago. I was a bayou-boy in USMC and loving the sunny, south CA coast. I was strong-as-an-ox and about twice as ignorant in regard to oceans and tides. Several of us were using fins and mask and were body-surfing some pretty good swells at La Jolla. It was a wonderful time right up to the point that my previously mentioned ignorance entered the picture. I suppose I should have been scared as I began to "FLOW" outward at an alarming rate. The rips I was familiar with in the Gulf of Mexico were certainly not like this ! Never a sense of panic, but of wonderment at the FORCE which was at work here ...Duh !! All's well that ends well ...some strong controlled swimming and a long hike later got me back to the campsite with a story to tell. After that I think I at least started paying attention to IF and WHERE the lifeguard stands were. Back in the bayous now with only gators and cottonmouths to watch out for !! ...adieu ...Peyton (Louisiana) ___________________________________________________________________ Get the Internet just the way you want it. Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 8/11/99 12:00:10 PM Eastern Daylight Time, joebr_at_burton.com writes: << Sorry - it's not the most pleasant of stories so I didn't want to offend anyone. Don't read this is you're easily upset. The short story is that the victim didn't make it. >> Thanks. Sad story, but several good points were made here. Just think, if you had been in a kayak and not the See Doo (sp?), you would not have been able to accomplish as much as you did; i.e. call an ambulance and ferry the victim to shore. Well done. Sandy Kramer Miami *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 8/11/99 11:44:14 AM Pacific Daylight Time, Sandykayak_at_aol.com writes: << Just think, if you had been in a kayak and not the See Doo (sp?), you would not have been able to accomplish as much as you did; i.e. call an ambulance and ferry the victim to shore. >> That's it! I'm selling all of my kayaks and getting a See Doo :-) Scott So.Cal. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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