[Paddlewise] Crab Pots Rescued (kinda long - sorry!)

Greetings wise paddlers,

I really appreciate the safety reporting that Doug and others on this
list contribute.  I live in a place where rescue, and unfortunately,
recovery, is not uncommon.  I'm always so impressed by the efforts of
the Coast Guard, and our local police department's surf rescue team.  I
also have the opportunity to observe their training, and to talk to
them at times.

A couple summers ago, one of our surf rescue officers was lost during a
rescue gone bad (everyone else eventually made it back alive -
including the person originally in need of rescue).  The surfer who
required the rescue (a visitor from inland) shouldn't have been in that
spot, in those conditions.  Had he known a few basic things about the
sea, he wouldn't have been there, and a friend of mine might still be
alive today.  

Sure, with the sea, s*** sometimes happens with little one can do.  But
the fact is, in an oceanside community like mine, most *incidents* and
tragedies occur because of bad judgment and lack of knowledge.

People risk their lives, and spare no expense to search for, rescue,
and sometimes recover the victims of their own bad ideas.  I'm glad
they do, and I gladly pay taxes for just such services.

I do believe though, that somehow, we have to find ways to educate
people about the basics of water safety in places like this (well,
anywhere really).  Each summer, I see papers describing techniques to
get back to shore when dealing with rip currents, warnings about water
temperature and hypothermia, about tides and currents, logs in the
surf, etc., plastered on shop windows, at every check out counter in
the grocery store, on drive up fast food windows, and in the daily
local papers.  Signs at the beaches.  These postings usually also have
copies of several newspaper articles of recent casualties attached.

I'll stand in line at the grocery store and watch weekend visitors buy
cases of beer, getting ready to hit the beach, and never once give more
than a passing glance at these warnings staring them in the face. 
Certainly not any more time taken than to see "13 year old drowns...
and father drowns trying to save him".  Then it's off to the beach,
drink beer, and play in the surf.  And sometimes, never come back.

By now, you may be wondering about the subject line of this little
rant.  Last weekend, the sun was shining, and my little town was full
of happy people, enjoying the magnificence of the Pacific ocean.  I
was, as usual, on the water most of the day.  Twice that day, sirens
pierced the music of the waves, and Coast Guard helicopters flew up and
down the coast in urgent searches.  The surf rescue team donned their
survival gear, and crashed through the surf in their sea doos and
zodiac.  Dedicated people rushing to the rescue, ready to give their
own lives if need be, and resources committed to a particular
operation.  Twice that day, the crab pots were found to be safe.

You see, twice that day, happy vacationers on the beach called in
urgent 911s for someone to rescue *swimmers offshore* -  obviously in
severe distress.  Ah... cell phones - everyone can be a hero.  What
they didn't realize was that they were looking at crab pot buoys
flailing away in the surf.  I do understand that people who aren't used
to seeing certain sights will misinterpret some things, and it's better
to err on the side of caution...  but crab pot buoys??!!

The energies and resources dedicated to saving these crab pots were
impressive, commendable, and, well, quite unnecessary.

So - we not only need more basic water safety education, but perhaps a
little education in identifying common *marine objects* as well.

How can this be done?  What more can a little town do than plaster
every eye level surface with warnings and instructions, asking that
people respect the power of the sea?  And now we need crab pot
identification classes?

I'm so happy to know that most paddlers are so safety conscious, and
acutely aware of their surroundings.  Sure, there are incidents of
paddlers getting in trouble they shouldn't perhaps have gotten into,
but we, as a group, are less likely to require the resources dedicated
to hapless crab pots.

Please be safe, watch out for the safety of others, and when the
opportunity presents itself, lend some of your knowledge to those who
might benefit from it.

Sorry for going on so long.

Melissa



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