Last year, a friend and I went for an urban day paddle into the Yarra River from Port Phillip Bay. The area is industrial shoreline, with docks, piers, marinas etc. We paddled under a major bridge, the Westgate, which spans the Yarra about 70 m above the water. On the way back, Mike pulled into the river bank to put on a jacket. I was drifting in the current waiting for him when a woman on the bank pointed up and began yelling. I looked and saw a flurry in the water under the bridge, about 150 metres away. A suicide had jumped from the bridge we had just paddled under, near a point we had rafted up. We paddled over to the impact area, and then combed downstream on request from Police on shore. We found nothing. About 20 minutes later, the Water Police boat came upstream, zig zagging, and retrieved the body about 5-600 metres downstream from the bridge.I have since learned that the Police response was so quick as the bridge has video cameras monitoring traffic constantly. If any car stops on the bridge, emergency services are immediately alerted. In the event, we weren't much real help. I have wondered since then, what could we have done to best help a seriously injured suicide attempt victim if we had found him or her in the water. Getting an injured person out of the water onto rafted up boats would be a real challenge. Has anyone had any experience of this? Regards, Peter Treby. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
I once towed a jet skier back to the dock (wasn't very far) when his engine quit. Is that a bad thing? Bob *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
"I once towed a jet skier back to the dock (wasn't very far) when his engine quit. Is that a bad thing? Bob" If you towed the person and left the PWC to sink, no problem. PT. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
----- Original Message From: Peter Treby In the event, we weren't much real help. I have wondered since then, what could we have done to best help a seriously injured suicide attempt victim if we had found him or her in the water. Getting an injured person out of the water onto rafted up boats would be a real challenge. Has anyone had any experience of this?----- It is funny you should ask about kayakers helping jumpers just this week. Last Saturday an ACA Instructor Certification Workshop group from California Canoe and Kayak was at the South Tower of the Golden Gate when a jumper landed about 25 feet from them. They said it was difficult to pull the injured young man with no shirt up onto their decks because he was so floppy from internal injuries and unconscious. He expired on the front decks of three kayaks while others in the group pulled them to shore with in-line towing. They were fortunate to have so many skilled paddlers available to help. Although everyone dealt with the physical aspects very well there were emotional repercussions that will take some time to work through. On a lighter note, in regards to kayakers helping others, as guides and instructors our first aid kits have come in handy for other beach goers. One group I was with in Washington, helped a yacht untangle a prop from some old line, I guess the knife is good for something other than making sandwiches. One group Roger was with towed a disabled skiff to shore once in Big Sur. Roger has helped a surfer with a broken board at Steamers in Santa Cruz. Two Miramar paddlers rescued a man from a fishing skiff accident near Half Moon Bay, CA. In the last two cases, the back deck swimmer method was employed. Last time we drove through the L.A. area I noticed a rescue vehicle with an open deck kayak strapped on top with some kind of rescue insignia on it. On the other thread, saw a guy with a dog (white short hair terrier, maybe 15-20 pounds) on a piece of rug foam (the kind that you put under an area rug to keep it from sliding around on a hard wood floor) on the front deck of a Mariner last week at Angel Island. For the crossing back in Raccoon Straits on a 2 knot ebb on Opening Day on the Bay, I noticed that he put the dog into his PFD and zipped up. Has anyone practiced rescues with their dog and their kayak yet? Best wishes, Jan Shriner *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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