Perfect storm for kayaking disaster

Author: josh

Category: Safety & navigation

Created on Thursday, 08 December 2011 19:30

Written by Josh

Usually in the period immediately following tragedy that involves fatality people understandably politely choose their words carefully and avoid speculating too far about what went wrong and who was at fault, usually out of respect to friends and family of the deceased. While I understand and respect that, I feel that now is the right time to initiate a discussion about what happened there. I'm probably going to cop a bit of heat for what I'm about to say next, but here goes. I'm compelled to offer my opinion at this stage for various reasons, not least of which being that readers come to this site seeking information and what I'm about to say needs to be said.   

However I didn't want to start speculating on anything without gathering some facts first, so a few days ago I phoned the lead investigating officer from the Victorian Police Force to ask some questions and see what I could learn. What I found out was pretty much exactly what I was expecting to find and is precisely the sort of scenario myself and many others have been warning about for years.    

Before going on to describe the details that have so far come to light (and details are still sketchy at this point) I should add here that I am very familiar with the waters that Paul Washington and Kevin Caithness paddled out into. In fact, the Sandringham yacht club (where they launched from) is the very same launch spot I used exclusively for 7 or 8 years. I know how quickly conditions can change in Port Phillip Bay and I have also seen how choppy it can get. I've been caught out there in similar conditions myself (and is how I injured the shoulder that plagued me for almost a decade) so I can imagine what the conditions were like in this instance. It's not at all difficult for me to imagine the various scenarios that might have transpired in this tragedy, especially now knowing some factual details about the incident.  

What we all knew from the initial news reports is that Paul and Kevin were on their maiden voyage on their newly rigged out motorized kayaks. We also knew that they were wearing PFDs when their bodies were found. And thats about it. One of the questions I had for the investigating officer is what PFDs they were wearing - type and style. I wanted to know if the vests were really suitable for kayaking and whether or not they had malfunctioned in some way. As it turns out the guys were wearing type 3 PFDs that are fashioned for use on a water-ski or towable of some kind (in instances where there is always a support boat). It's difficult to say if the PFDs in question really played a role in the tragedy or not, so speculating too much on this point isn't terribly helpful. I will note, however, that these type of vests typically have no pockets or provision for attaching safety items. While they are just fine when the boat that was towing you a moment ago is doubling back to pick you up, these really aren't a good choice for floating around in rough choppy water for extended periods. So while we can't fairly assume that their choice of PFD played any direct role in their demise, it is fair to suggest that had they been wearing vests that were equipped with just a few essential items (light, whistle, knife, radio or Personal Beacon) their chances would have been greatly improved.   

The phrase 'Life jacket' became taboo a number of years ago because the term isn't necessarily a fitting  product description. They might keep you afloat, but they might not keep you alive. That's why the phrase 'Personal Floatation Device' (PFD) became the new kosher description and this incident is a reminder of why. If you want your PFd to truly be deserving of the moniker 'Life jacket' then you'll equip it with at least some of the items mentioned in the last paragraph and it'll need to be buoyant enough to float you and it nicely. The greater your chances of falling out of your kayak in open water (thats anyone who is a beginner, or uses a tippy kayak, and or fishes in open water, especially those who fish anywhere near bommies and headlands), the greater your need to be equipped with some or all of these things.  

I also inquired as to whether or not the paddles were found still attached to the kayaks or whether or not they were found separately or not at all. The paddles were found separated from the kayaks, which can mean any number of things. One thing we can take for granted here is that the paddles were not leashed. It's possible that the paddles might have been dropped or come free of the retaining cord (if there was one), possibly as a result of the rough conditions. And if that is the case, then it's possible that their electric motors ran out of power and they were then stranded without propulsion. It's just as likely, however, that the guys were using their paddles and were separated from their kayaks, again, likely due to rough water conditions. At that point, they would have let them go immediately in a desperate rush to swim back to their kayaks, which would likely have been pretty much impossible in strong northerly winds. So it's impossible to know exactly what occurred with the paddles to, but either scenario has trouble written all over it.  

Another thing I wanted to know was how they were dressed. Although no real specifics could be offered at this stage, I was told that they had dressed for 30 degree weather and perfect conditions, which is exactly what it was like before the weather turned for the worst. So they weren't at all attired in sensible kayaking clothing and certainly not dressed for surviving extended periods of submersion in the cold waters of PPB. It sounds like they made a pretty bad choice in this department also and it is fair to assume that this may very well have contributed to their deaths. Hypothermia may very well have been what overcame them both. Typical summer clothing items such as cotton shirts, caps, pants or shorts are the very last thing any kayaker should be wearing out in open water for a whole host of reasons, not least of which that it loses all its insulation qualities when wet, it sticks to your skin and takes a long time to dry out. Most experienced kayakers know this like they know the sun rises each day.   

When I asked whether or not that these guys had packed any safety gear whatsoever, the answer I received was a wearily spoken 'Nil'. By the sound of the response I gathered that the officer was all too familiar with that and well and truly sick and tired of seeing it. Can't say I blame him.   

So they paddled/motored out into PPB on a maiden voyage and didn't pack any safety gear whatsoever and thus not in any way shape or form prepared for any kind of emergency. Which quite naturally led to my next question, which was, 'news reports tell us this was their maiden voyage on these kayaks. Can you confirm whether or not that these guys were new to kayaking?' From investigations to date that very much looks to be the case. So lets assume at this point that they were both beginners. Lets also assume that they went out into the water without having inspected a weather report, or otherwise didn't have enough respect for what the report was telling them.   

We will never know exactly how Paul and Kevin came to grief out there but from the information we do have, we can take a pretty good guess. Its possible that one of them got into trouble, probably by capsizing, and matters took a turn for the worst when the other went to try and help. Without having performed kayak sea-rescue drills, this is always going to be difficult in rough conditions and without having much previous kayaking experience, it was always going to be difficult for these guys to keep their yaks upright in rough choppy waters. There weren't many other boats out there (probably because they knew what the weather was going to do) so they were always going to be difficult to spot, and because they were carrying no safety gear whatsoever, it was always going to be impossible for them to do anything about it, other than swim for shore.   

Looking at where they launched and where their bodies was found, factoring in wind and water direction, I'd say it's highly likely that they launched from Sandringham and made for Faulkners Beacon, which is approx 5km to the west. It's a renowned snapper fishing spot and in my experience it fishes best when it gets a bit rough. I think that it's highly likely that these guys were out there catching good fish and were simply having so much fun doing it that they didn't realize how bad conditions were growing until it was too late (this isn't terribly hard to do). With the wind coming in strong from the north, they would have had choppy waves hitting them from hard from the side and that coupled with their relative inexperience made for a foregone conclusion. It really was a perfect storm for disaster.   

The officer went on to tell me that this was not an isolated incident this year. In fact, there have been some 5-6 kayak related deaths in Victoria this year alone. Now, accidents do happen... sometimes things just go bad. But when inexperience and ill-prepared kayaks, clothing and equipment keep showing up - which it usually does - it's hard to just put it down to plain old bad luck. Theres a reason we have over 30 articles in the safety section here at Yakass and thats the same reason why I use to include a disclaimer (about the potential dangers of open water kayaking) at the start of my video clips, and will start doing again from now on. It's also the same reason why I think twice about saying 'yes' to going on certain kayak fishing trips with others if I'm unsure of their experience level and or their equipment. And unfortunately, but perhaps unavoidably, Victorian kayakers are now facing the possibility of revised safety equipment laws as a result of this incident. I won't be surprised that such a move wouldn't be embraced nationwide. Perhaps it's inevitable because clearly not everyone is getting the message.   

The message is this: kayak fishing in open water is no joke and is not for the utterly inexperienced or poorly equipped, especially not when there is even the slightest chance it's going to get rough out there, or if you don't know what a bommie is, or have never drilled capsizing and re-entry and haven't invested in the kind of clothes that make sense.