Another Rescue

I'm kinda wondering why the boat that saw the guy flip didn't go render aid and relied on the coast guard chopper. Terrible waves the guy shouldn't have been in that would have made a boat to PWC save impossible??? I've rendered aid several times to folks in the water with no problem. I've never done it in terrible water conditions though.
 
Potter, i would never second guess why another boater did not aid in a rescue. I have done one with people in the water and I know that not everyone could have gotten away with it. They dont have the handling skills nor the strength. Now Iam not super boater or a big stud but I am ok behind the wheel of a boat and with two other fair size young guys on board my boat to help we where able to pull it off. But it took a lot of strength and cooperation of the three of us to work together to pull a 240lbs soaking wet guy off a over turned boat. Many people should not try it for fear of getting in more trouble and maybe needing rescuing them selves. I never second guess other peoples abilities. That should be up to them.
 
I don't think there was another boat around. According to the articles I read someone on shore saw the guy flip and called for help.
 
When I worked in the mountains a while back, it was the same with avalanche beacons. $100 for the beacon. Really! They had every excuse why they didn't wear one but I believe at the end of the day it was always just money. Would you pay $100 for your life or even for a chance at saving your life? I sure would.

Life jackets are the same way but usually for comfort reasons. I say buy and self inflatable more comfortable one if it is a comfort issue. Guess what, they don't want to spend the money. So the $20 cheap orange is sitting in the cuddy when all hell breaks loose and it has junk piled on it at that.

In the Marines I learned much about water survival and went as far as a fellow could without going to scuba school. I am pretty comfortable in the drink and have very little fear or stress when there. I always wear a vest of some type.
 
I couldn't agree more about the potential difficulties of getting someone on board.

I'm happier knowing that it may have been someone on shore who saw the guy flip.

I do know that even with difficult seas, if I have a healthy boat, that I'd at least linger as close as was safe until other help arrived.

I wasn't being critical, even if the folks who saw the flip were on a boat. Only saying that I'd hope that if someone saw me in the water that they would try to help if they could do so safely. And if they couldn't that they would linger until proper help would arrive. Just knowing there was someone near and aware of my predicament would be reassuring.

On the other hand, if I was hypothermic, I'd rather a complete nincompoop attempt to get me out of the water than just watch me slip away and drown.

I hope never to be in the water without a life preserver and alone. I can't imagine a more hellish situation.

A lot of our local lake PWC riders leave the life preservers on the beach or at least not on their bodies. Their reasoning is that they say they can swim to the PWC if they flip, and that the PWC won't sink. I don't know if that is true. Personally, I hate PWC's and the disturbance they bring to a beautiful water world. But, I'm also one who believes that waterways belong to everyone. I just shout out to the firmament, "SERENITY NOW," whenever PWC's invade my anchorage and return to my reading.
 
I am going to venture a guess that this person was right in the breaking surf. I have seen them do that on multiple occasions, although never without a buddy, or without a PFD and wet suit. These are really cold waters.

To be truthful, it that was the case, I would never put myself at risk by taking my boat into those kind of conditions. I would stay outside and try my best to keep an eye on the PWC to assist the CG in a rescue.
 
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