[Paddlewise] Kayak Incident

Incident update:

I was able to speak with the RCMP on Quadra Island today (across the water 
from Campbell River). They had better details of the kayak incident I 
reported in my recent post.

>From what I can gather, the paddler was a 280 pound, 50 year old male, out 
padding with his son along the shoreline when he capsized in calm water. He 
was apparently unable to right himself or wet-exit. His son was unable to 
rescue the father, so went to shore to get the mother. Once help was able to 
bring him back to shore after 10 minutes spent submerged, the paddler was 
taken to the hospital by ambulance. The paddler did not survive.

The Constable I spoke with assumed the paddler was not experienced, having 
borrowed kayaks from someone on Quadra Island with a cottage property. I'm 
not sure where the previous media report of head injury came from. This 
appears to be a simple case of entrapment due to lack of training and/or 
possibly a cockpit incorrectly fitting the paddler (the latter, a subjective 
observation).

This was an unfortunate incident, entirely preventable.

Doug Lloyd
Victoria BC
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