Something that I have been guilty of is visiting a thread and just reading the most recent post, getting inspired by it and responding to it in a way that totally hijacks what the OP intended. It really disappoints me when I do that.
Here I go again saying something that has nothing to do with "Don’t get caught in this frequently lethal trap. Sorry. I am committing to doing better going forward…
Thanks raosborne, I found the quote and agree. I think I described that somewhere. Especially when the tide changes during a sustained SE wind of 15 mph, were depths go from 30 ft to shoals of 7 feet and the land narrows the channel. That is where the Rockfish congregate when the tide and temperatures are right. Knowing the dynamics is the key ro safety. Being out there when it’s dead calm on a 95° day with near hundred percent humidity is dreadfully hot, especially. The Bay is bad enough, but it can’t compare to the fury of many other places. Since Deception Pass was a recent topic, I offer that as a comparison. I can’t imagine there is a good day.
3meterswell, I hate when I do that as well. So much information, it’s hard to keep up. The key is to develop a writing style that doesn’t attract attention, but then there would be no incentive to read.
One thing to consider when looking at fatal accidents on the water that is not necessarily reflected in the statistics is how few paddlecraft are out on the water compared to other classes of watercraft.
Deception Pass at slack tide on a clear day in August is as good as it gets.
Our typical tide is within 1.2 ft range, with 3 ft plus about 5 times a year accompanying. storm surge. I know there are dedicated sea kayakers around here, but I dont see them much. I believe most base out of Annapolis, which has the only professional kayak outfitter within a hour drive from my area. The next is 1.5 hours below York and 2 hours above Harrisburg, PA.
Agreed. DP can be ferocious, but also tame and suitable for novices at slack tide on a calm day. It’s a great training ground for working with currents, practicing ferries etc. when conditions are relatively mild, but also a good place for more advanced paddlers to hone their edge when it starts getting pushy. But that’s why paying attention to tide tables and wind is so important.
My sole experience with anything close to flush drowning was in Mile Long Rapid on the Dead. I was half way down and I went side-ways over a rock down into a hole filling up my boat. There was no place to bail and I don’t have a pump, so I started working my way over to shore. I dumped at the top of a long wave train.
I got into the swimming position (on back with feet downstream) and tried to breathe in the troughs, and hold my breath as I went through the waves - breathe, glug, breathe, glug, breathe, glug. It doesn’t take long before you have a tough time catching your breath. Fortunately I bumped into a rock and was able to get myself into the eddy. My boat ended up not far way.
I am always surprised at how exhausting it is to swim in whitewater. I had never really thought about water temperature playing a role, but I’m sure that it does. The run on the Dead was in June. I was wearing a Farmer John wetsuit, but the water was still cold. Even in summer, whitewater trips are often on dam release rivers where the water is colder than expected.
Can’t help myself - have to post a couple of pictures. This was the crew for that trip sitting at the top of Grand Falls.
This was Grand Falls behind us at the top of the run.
I hope I can get back there again this year for a low level run. Not up for the bigger stuff anymore. 
“I am always surprised at how exhausting it is to swim in whitewater.”
Excellent point. Unwary paddlers who blow off wearing PFDs argue that they “can swim”, but this isn’t a pool or some flatwater lake. The issue with cold water is that without the protection of a wetsuit or drysuit, most people will experience maximum-intensity cold shock at water temps between 50-60F. That means a complete loss of breathing control - gasping, hyperventilating, trouble holding their breath - in whitewater, a perfect recipe for inhaling water and drowning.
https://www.coldwatersafety.org/the-danger
so when I look at american whitewater’s data base and start reading different reports there are a whole host of reasons why people die or have near misses. When you start to look at “flush drownings” you’ll notice more occur out west and many involve older males. I attribute males to the fact that there are more males paddling ww. As far as being older, well I can’t hold my breath as long as I used to and seem more susceptible to the cold. I’m no longer young and bullet proof. That may apply to others as well.
I’ve never had a desire to paddle the Dead on a high release but I can see where it would be appealing for commercial rafting.
The AW database is a superb resource, but because of the dynamic nature of rivers and the limitations of the data gathered, it can be difficult to draw precise conclusions about flush drownings . What we do know with certainty is the human physiological response to unprotected cold water immersions. The immediate loss of breathing control and the risk it creates for water inhalation are clear. So while wearing a well-secured PFD and a suitable wetsuit or drysuit are no guarantee of survival, failure to do so is just begging for trouble. Surviving a swim through rapids (during which time the paddler is repeatedly submerged) depends on being able to selectively hold one’s breath in a very stressful rough water situation. If you can’t breath hold, water inhalation is inevitable. https://www.coldwatersafety.org/cold-shock
The highest I have done is 3500, and other than my swim in Mile Long, I did OK. It was actually more stressful than fun, so I wouldn’t do that level again. I have done it at 2400 several times ( 1, 2, 3, 4) - I’m OK with that. If I can get up there this year I’d like to do a weekend with 1800 Saturday (solo) and 1300 Sunday (tandem). Last time I was there we did a tandem run at 1800, and it was a blast. Might be tough to get my kayak friends interested in the low level runs, but I’m getting too old for the big stuff.
A little off-topic, of the off-topic tangent but,
I keep hearing of people knowing about dam release amounts and dates, is there a source/sources for this info?
We have loads of dams out west and other than watching the flow rates and amounts on the river app and trying to figure out some kind of pattern I didn’t know that we could find it in advance.
This would be great info as our rivers can easily be too shallow to paddle if done at the wrong time and all of them are hours of driving to get to.
I’m not aware of a central source - maybe someone else is. Around here local paddles clubs will often consolidate and publish release information - like this one from the Boston AMC. Many dam operators as part of their operating license are required to do recreational releases on weekends - and they unusually publish this information on their websites.
Like anything - google it and see what comes up.
Check out fishing sites too. In one case an hour from me, the dam releases include a phase that serves fishermen. In addition to another that is good for kayaking and a no release phase each day. If their license requires them to serve multiple masters, there should be link on sites for fresh water fishing.