Wind against ebb tide at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Wouldn’t want to be trying to kayak there on a day like that.
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Rstevens15, I do agree with that. I know my limitations. In a recent post, I described my desire to kayak between Rocky Point near Hart-Miller and Rock Hall on the Eastern Shore. That post noted that I started out but turned around within 1/4 mile, because I assessed existing conditions and anticipated what could develop later in the afternoon. If I had set up to launch from a marina wher I could co er an equivalent distance up near Poole Island, I would have done so, because it followed land. In hindsight, I recall that conditions didn’t mirror what I anticipated. Nothing lost, because I still got in a good day paddling in a different direction.
I do disagree with comments that the Bay is unpredictable. That comes from people who ignore the signs. To answer a questions about whether I ever miscalculated warning signs. Nobody is perfect? The only time my sister can out paddle me is when she hears thunder. I have been fortunate enough to land and tie down the boats before seeing the lightning.
@MoultonAvery I found a great site with plenty of boating data.
I’m having trouble wrapping my head around this map. Texas and Florida led the way for boating deaths in 2019. Both aren’t known for cold water. There must be more to it than that.
Also open motorboat deaths were far higher than kayak deaths in 2019.
Booze is most likely the culprit.
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DanielD, many of the deaths on the Bay in Maryland and Virginia that I’ve flowed are linked to no PFD. Many are lone individuals fishing from motorized boats in cold water, and a high number on the Potomac River get caught in the low dams that feed the C&O Canal.
The best advice is to respect the water temperature and carry a waterproof, floating VHF radio. Prior to launching, listen to a cycle of the NOAA weather broadcast, and return to the NOAA channel at least hourly to listen to a cycle of the report. Alerts are preceeded by a warning signal. You should be aware of the speed you’re capable of reaching under the conditions of wind and current. The radio is great for two-way comms, but outgoing signal is limited by wattage and line of sight.
I monitor ch 16 and the majority of calls to the USCG are power boats taking on water.
The same information can be obtained from your phone, unless you’re out of cell range or your waterproof case muffles the alert.
“Texas and Florida led the way for boating deaths in 2019. Both aren’t known for cold water. There must be more to it than that.”
Google “Florida Man.”
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You’re confusing the statistics. Read this: 2019 Recreational Boating Statistics - Excerpts - Google Docs. Yes, there were more motorboat fatalities than paddlesports fatalities in 2019, but I was citing the percentage of accidents that are fatal, which is a far more significant measure of risk. Over half of all accidents involving paddlecraft were fatal (canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards), whereas only 11% of open motorboat accidents were fatal.
Furthermore, the relationship between cold water and fatal accident outcomes is very clear:
For the original reports, visit this US Coast Guard web page:
https://uscgboating.org/statistics/accident_statistics.php
Also, regarding water temperatures in Texas and Florida, depending on the location, coastal water temps can be in the maximum-intensity cold shock range (50-60F), and inland lakes and rivers can be much colder than the coastal temps. This is the data source that you should be considering regarding average water temperatures:
Getting water temps for many areas is challenging because there isn’t a single source for that information. Here is an article that should help you in your search for information:
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Thank you MoultonAvery, it’s interesting how few are paddle craft related, yet paddle craft had a higher number resulting in death. Cold water is a big factor, but wonder how many are related to no PFD. I follow local news and family members always point out the news clips about kayakers. Regardless of other factors, the report of death is often attributed to not wearing a PFD.
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American Whitewater (AW) maintains a long running database of river accidents and fatalities. They have identified ‘PFD Not Worn or Present’ as the cause of 13% of fatalities in the last 40 years (data through 7/22/2020)
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Great information there, thanks for providing that. This is along the lines of what I’ve been looking for, as it seems anecdotes are relied upon almost exclusively to make the case of there being a serious problem.
I find the low number of accidents in paddlecraft encouraging, even if a higher % are fatal. At the end of the day, it’s nice to see that there are just less deaths involved with a particular activity. That being said, there is plenty of room to improve since people simply aren’t wearing a PFD or immersion wear, which is not a big obstacle to overcome. Convincing people to not get drunk and drive a boat (or car) is a bigger bear to tackle! Plus it’s exceedingly difficult to ensure people have enough skills before they go out.
PFD and immersion wear. I like its simplicity and also how much potential improvement it can provide in those death figures with relatively small effort.
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Any time you read that the “dive team” is on scene, it’s code for No PFD. I’m on the distribution list for the US Coast Guard accident reports, and not a week goes by without reading about a number of close calls or fatalities. In absolute numbers, we have a pretty safe sport. We also have a long tradition of looking out for each other, mentoring new paddlers, and educating our community about hazards.
The statistics only go so far. In a lot of the fatalities that occur without PFDs, cold water is a factor because without cold shock, many victims would not have drowned. For example, there’s a growing awareness in the whitewater community that many flush drownings are the result of unprotected cold water immersions and loss of breathing control as the victim is swept downriver through rapids and repeatedly submerged - and that while wearing a PFD.
I also think we often view “survivors” as emerging unscathed. In fact, near-death experiences are traumatic and cold shock is an absolutely horrific experience, physically and mentally. PTSD, nightmares - it’s not what you’re looking for when you go out for a fun paddle. Laurence Gonzales wrote a very interesting book on the subject called Surviving Survival. Fascinating stuff, and a worthy sequel to his excellent book Deep Survival.
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A small number of safety precautions would eliminate most of the fatalities. The hurdle we face with cold water safety is that cold water doesn’t look dangerous at all. Social media has certainly been a tremendous help to me in educating fellow paddlers. And Zoom enables me to hold free cold water safety classes for groups all over the country. Last year we also had paddlers from 14 countries participate, so that’s been very rewarding. We don’t monetize the subject, and there are no ads on our website. We park our videos on Vimeo so that no obnoxious ads get served up. For me, it’s been a full-time, volunteer job for the past 10 years. It’s a lot of work, but it gives my life meaning and allows me to pay forward the gift of knowledge that more experienced paddlers shared with me when I was getting started and knew nothing.
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MoultonAvery, Memorial Day weekend in 1973, I was in Ocean City, MD. Fresh out of the Army, full of vinegar, and intent on going in the water, even if it was only 45°. What you’re saying about cold shock is believable. I didn’t get my face get anywhere near the water, and have no desire to repeat that, no matter what I’m wearing. I know several people who had near drowning experiences. They want nothing to do with the water.
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I hear you. We were both full of vinegar in '73. I hear from people from time to time who have had the misfortune of an unprotected cold water immersion and are really struggling with the aftermath. Can’t get near their kayaks without having flashbacks. Haven’t been paddling for 6 months - all sorts of stuff like that. I think I need to do a better job communicating the mental side of the equation on our website and in the classes. That’s always a work in progress and I’m always trying to improve it.
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But consider how much coastline they have, not to mention rivers and the weather is mild so year round kayaking as opposed to being holed up for the winter.
True, there are simply a lot more chances for an accident. Plus Floridians own the most boats of any state. California has lower deaths than both states though, and it has a very long coastline plus the highest population of any state.
Plus I imagine most people really don’t go out in cold water, whether they know all the gory details or not. There’s an instinct (I have at least) that says… going into cold water will make me not enjoy life whatsoever. People don’t take cold showers either.
Here in WA, although the weather is fine and the water is not frozen, I don’t see many people on the lakes or Sound. I went to Alki Beach a few days ago and saw a grand total of two paddlecraft in the water. Also notable… the water was glassy and pretty low wind.
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This quote is by jyak. Not attributable to me. I grew up on the Bay and I know better. My Dad was in the Navy. We ran power boats long distances, in storms and at night.
Am I missing something?
@rstevens15 quoted @ppine who was quoting you. The quote by ppine was not marked as a quote, but since I had read the whole exchange it was clear to me… but maybe not to everyone else.
The problem with a forum is how spread out the threads become. It’s easy to read a segment and not understand the context. Like I always say, it’s up to me to make sure my message is understood. Anyone experienced on the Bay understand the reality without me describing it. My goal is to help someone new understand the nuances. I’ve been told by many people that the Bay is too dangerous for kayaks. The same is true of most bodies of water.
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