Good thing you two were there
That guy is lucky.
The only thing I could add to what’s been said is maybe assume the worst if you see a swimmer who isn’t holding their paddle or their boat.
those photos stop short…
Here are 2 my wife took when everyone was talking/joking:
In this one, my BIL is in the middle with the swamped canoe, the guy who swam to shore to the left of him (middle person), and the guy we had to help is even with his buddy in the kayak who’s taking photo/video:
http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae211/Brian–M/FlintRiver029_zps4cf36539.jpg
And here you can see I’m sorta between the 2 men in the water (yellow kayak), the 3rd of their party in the blue kayak also very near, BIL’s kayak on shore, and things were still peachy:
http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae211/Brian–M/FlintRiver028_zps510f352b.jpg
But that’s it as my wife went to help us pull things ashore.
I’m still amazed at just how fast it went from “ha ha, we dumped and are swimming, this is funny” to “he’s drowning” ~ it certainly was NOT in slow-motion, very much real time and yet like watching a TV/movie where someone drowns ~ I guess they got that part of “realism” down pretty good.
Water temps?
I don’t think this was mentioned, but at the mid 60s water temps, as listed here http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?site_no=02356000 I would not be surprised that the swimmer got a cramp or got disoriented from the cool water in their ears…
Water temps?
Maybe, maybe not…
I’d be more inclined to believe that a weak or non-swimming victim, not wearing his pfd, and having imbibed more than a little alcohol had a lot more to do with it than water temp.
BOB
Looks like it would have to be a
rescue from a boat, and I guess I would have given it a try, though a panicky and gasping swimmer is difficult and dangerous to help.
I don’t think the guy was in any danger of leg entrapment where he was on the river. The current there isn’t super strong. I’ve experienced leg entrapment, and it takes a stronger current to lock a leg into a slot.
The most difficult step, rescuing a guy from a solo whitewater canoe, is to get him to hang on so I can tow him, or to pull him aboard. A newby, weak from struggling, is not likely to be able to assist in boarding. And if he isn’t wearing a pfd, what is there for me to grab?
I remember one old lady who had popped out of a raft on the Nantahala. She took proper hold of my stern painter, but then she went into passive mode, and did absolutely nothing to help me tow her to the bank. But we made it anyway.
The leg entrapment concern
From the shots and the description it sounds like that was not a risk in this particular spot.
But it sounds as though there are stretches not far away from this spot where it could be an issue, and it is not clear whether this risk was part of the OPer’s assessment. In a case where it was thought of and felt to be a strong risk, it would strengthen the sequence mentioned above of swimmer then boat then gear.
Ropes
Getting a rope and keeping it handy is part of becoming a responsible whitewater paddler. You obviously need to practice throwing it, but most self/assisted/swiftwater rescue classes are going to give you a lot of opportunity. Or go to any easy popular Class III drop with easy access and pull people out all day (Nantahala Falls for example).
Always talk to the victim before you offer yourself or your boat. If they cannot comprehend and follow directions, stay back and let them come to their senses or drown (once they drown, they are easier to deal with than a panicked swimmer).
Rescue people first, but evaluate them before you get close. If they are purely freaking out, they will try to stand on your head. The worst rescuers are those who act to fast in many situations… Never put yourself in serious danger to rescue someone who is floating along without a vest in an obvious panic.
Look them in the eyes, talk to them. If they can’t follow instructions and converse with you, do not let them get to you. If they do, I was taught to dive deep and push off of them with my legs – very effective at serparating them from you if you are both in the water, but swimming out to them is a last resort. Even then a live-bait type rescue is preferred (rope attached to a rescue vest so others can haul you in from shore).
Some rescues require immediate action, but not generally in a pool after a rapid. If a non-swimmer has no vest on going through a Class II and almost dies, I’m going to let him go before I put myself too much at risk. Throw him a rope, sure. Let him have the front of my boat – only if he can talk and listen to me. Swim out to him – no. I’d go get him after he stops thrashing around and then administer CPR before I let him grab me and try to drown me.
Jim
Having run that section several times,
I would say that if someone flips at one of the ledges, they are unlikely to be able to get oriented and extend their legs to stand up quickly enough to risk leg entrapment. By the time they try to get feet on the bottom, the current will be too slow to entrap them. At higher water, when the current is fast enough, the water will be too deep to stand.
My own leg entrapment was on a similar river, but I was body surfing in a shallow chute where one had to keep one’s butt up to avoid breaking the coccyx. Unfortunately, as the current accelerated my body, my legs slanted down in spite of my attempt to keep them up, and one leg got caught under an upward slanting rock slab. I could only get a hand above the surface. If my knee had not given way and hyperextended, I might well have drowned in full view of my family and fellow paddlers. No one was aware of what was happening because body surfing that chute was common practice.
rescue
Sounds like a list of compounding errors. The relatively warm water temp and calm area for recovery saved the day. The unknown paddlers obviously need to learn a few thngs about river paddling. Wear a PFD, pay attention to companions in a capsize. You and your companions need to focus more on the safety of the people in a capsize and forget about the equipment. The most important thing to be learned is the difficulty in saving a drowning victim without a PFD. They will imperil your life. Throw them a rescue line next time.
The other point to made is that these type of things happen all the time on rivers. In cold water in continuous rapids someone may have drowned that day. Be ready with your technique and judgement next time and don’t imperil yourself trying to save someone else.
rescue
– Last Updated: Apr-22-13 3:33 PM EST –
I like jimyaker's post. Sounds like he has spent plenty of time with a rescue rope in his hands.
Ouch!
You kind of glossed over the hyperextension part…