Re: [Paddlewise] The Ocean is Big, Our Impact Bigger

Harold,

Well said!

I have paddled-out a half dozen times from Channel Islands Harbor to Santa
Cruz Island and back. Kayaks are often seen as recreational toys and the
ocean as a bath-tub for neophyte enthusiasts. Sellers of kayaks can help
alot through safety training at the point of sale and by promoting
ecological awareness. I have watched nervously as management of Santa Cruz
Island has shifted and the potential for use by kayakers has increased.

We are all lumped together, casual and skilled, careless and respectful. One
bad apple spoils the basket.

Sid Taylor

-----Original Message-----
From: HTERVORT_at_aol.com <HTERVORT_at_aol.com>
To: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net <paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net>
Date: Wednesday, May 03, 2000 5:57 PM
Subject: [Paddlewise] The Ocean is Big, Our Impact Bigger


>I just got back from three wonderful days out on Santa Cruz Island, one of
>the Northern Group of Channel Islands here in Southern California.  I was
>leading a small group of parents and their children with two assistant
>guides.  The weather varied from small-craft warning conditions to calm and
>warm, allowing us to get in some varied but restricted paddling.  The
general
>large-period swell prevented us from getting in most of the sea caves, but
>the few we did enter were magnificent.
>
>Now the downside:
>
>Although it is not really in-season yet, the number of people and the large
>number of kayaks on this until-recently unpopular island led me to think
>about the recent thread concerning crowding along our shores.  I had
>summarily deleted most of the postings in that thread, so if this posting
>repeats what someone else has already stated, please accept my apologies.
>
>While I am willing to share the ocean and shorelines with other kayakers
and
>boaters, I am concerned about the rapid increase in the unenlightened and
>unprepared paddlers I am seeing in fragile and possibly dangerous areas
such
>as the Channel Islands.  We, as a species, have demonstrated all too well
>that the earth and environment is no match for our ability to pollute,
spoil
>and destroy in the name of progress, profit and even recreation.  So, no
>matter how large the oceans, we can more than match them with our
undesirable
>impact.
>
>This past weekend there were two or three other outfitters besides myself
on
>Santa Cruz.  For the most part, these are fairly responsible people who
play
>by what few rules there are and are relatively safety conscious.  However,
>even though the waters are still in the upper 50's and we had somewhat cool
>(55-65 F) and windy (10-20 kt) days, the other outfitters were running
trips
>on SOTs without issuing wetsuits to their clients, and one had rented a
>number of kayaks to groups of inexperienced and unguided Scouts and school
>children.  In addition, there were many more who had rented kayaks from
>various stores and outfitters and brought them out to the island on their
>own.  (In the interest of safety, we stopped renting kayaks for use on the
>islands a couple of years ago.)
>
>Throughout the weekend I watched as people were being pummeled by kayaks in
>the shore dump because they had no instruction on proper landing technique,
>found myself advising people to go back to shore for their PFDs, telling
>people to stay out of the sea caves because they were not wearing helmets,
>conditions were too rough, or because there were nesting birds or resting
>pinnipeds clearly visible inside.  I also had to split off from my group,
>leaving them with one guide as I and another assistant rescued a young
>hypothermic boy and his father who had been in the water for 30 minutes
>because their SOT was sinking.
>
>My concern is that the number and severity of these types of incidents
>involving unskilled and unknowledgeable paddlers will lead to a rise in
>injuries and deaths, an increase in the disturbance of nesting birds and
sea
>creatures, and other problems which will in turn result in restrictions
being
>placed on the paddling community as a whole.  We will see more and more
areas
>closed off to kayaking altogether or placed under permit and quota
>restrictions.  Is this bad?  Perhaps not in the grand scheme of things, but
>it will certainly place a crimp in the enjoyment we all currently get from
>our sport.
>
>Some general comments which were brought back to mind during the weekend
>which can always stand repeating:
>
>1.  It has been said before on this list:  Get involved in educating people
>you see out on the water when it is clear that they have no clue.
>
>2.  The Marine Mammal Protection Act requires that you do nothing that will
>cause Pinnipeds and other marine mammals to change their natural behavior.
>This requires that we stay out of sea caves when seals and seal lions are
>inside.
>
>3.  This time of year is nesting season for many species of birds that nest
>inside sea caves and along cliffs and rocky sea shores.  Entering caves or
>playing too close to areas where birds are nesting can cause abandonment of
>nests or cause eggs or chicks to fall from the nests.  Stay away from
rookery
>areas.
>
>4.  Entering sea caves in kayaks requires special skills, knowledge and
>safety equipment.  Get proper instruction and learn to read the caves and
>ocean swell before taking on caves.
>
>5.  If you are an outfitter or livery, consider restricting who you rent to
>and/or the destination of your equipment.  The life you save may correspond
>to the law suit you avoid.  But more importantly, you will save areas which
>are subject to overuse and abuse from being restricted, thus making them
>available for your own (hopefully) well-run programs.
>
>6.  SOT kayaks are certainly not unsinkable.  The one we rescued was
>practically new, but had been stored too close to a light bulb, which
melted
>a 2-inch diameter hole through the deck (plastic, plastic, plastic).
>
>    With respect to all kayaks and associated gear:
>    -Store all gear properly.
>    -Inspect all gear before and after use.
>    -Carry supplemental flotation bags or other buoyancy for emergency
>situations.
>    -Never leave shore without your safety gear (we were going less than a
>mile from the put-in).
>    -Dress for the water.  If you are unsure, dress warmer than you think
you
>need.  The kayakers we rescued had thin, shorty wetsuits on.  They were
>insufficient for the conditions, but if they had gone out without them,
>and/or without their PFDs (as some were doing that sunny day), the outcome
>could have been much worse.
>
>I apologize for rambling on over such a wide range of subject matter, but I
>just needed to vent.  Watching such goings-on and then listening to the
Park
>Rangers talk about how little they can do to better the situation leaves me
>with a feeling of helplessness.  Hopefully, if we keep the subjects alive
and
>pass on our knowledge to others, the cause will not be lost.
>
>Happy Paddling,
>Harold
>***************************************************************************
>PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and
not
>to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission
>Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
>Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
>Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
>***************************************************************************
>

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not
to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************