By Mary Fairchild
(Careful inspection and gearing up for a day on Lake Superior: Nigel Dennis and Eila Wilkinson.)
Life is full of dangers. As more people are exposed to a given risk, whether we're talking about driving a car, playing football, snowboarding, rock climbing or kayaking, more will be injured or killed. There's no such thing as a risk-free environment, especially in the outdoors.
(Costa Concordia, Giglio, Italy; Associated Press, 2/15/12)
National Geographic covered last month’s Italian cruise ship disaster on Sunday night. The documentary wove together in-depth stories from passengers and staff on board as well as Coast Guard rescuers.
The Malta Press, “Maritime consultant Reuben Lanfranco said, ‘Cruise liners had a relatively good track record in terms of safety. After 9/11, the numbers shot up, with tourists preferring to avoid flying.’”
“…Ray Gregory, who also enjoys his yearly cruises, is ‘not at all put off’ either. ‘You have to take into account the thousands of vessels that sail the seas and consider that the sinking of the Costa Concordia boils down to human error,’ he said.”(7)
Kayakers are often thought of as being irresponsible mostly because the average person is not particularly active or adventurous. The public at large rarely appreciates the technical skills that underlie kayaking, nor do they acknowledge the large numbers of people who participate in the sport without problems.
Menominee River/Piers Gorge, Michigan. Level 4 sea kayak training in current:
Learning paddling skills and executing them under pressure helps people develop courage--safety depends on individual judgment.
Level 4 sea kayak training in Coastal Maine:
"...the most important thing you will need in order to kayak to Cumberland Island is common sense. If you are not at least an Intermediate-level kayaker, you do not need to attempt this trip without a professional guide – not just a buddy who did it last year. So, if you don’t want to hire a guide, simply take a couple kayak classes and learn the basics and some advanced essential skills for paddling in open-water – like kayak re-entries, assists and rescues, for instance." (2)
The most important factor to safe sea kayaking is having the knowledge and experience to judge the level of potential danger and the ability to accurately compare it to your group’s capabilities leaving adequate margin for error.
“Since it was brought up in the coaches’ meeting that the tide was going to be ebbing that afternoon, I was concerned, since river mouths are known to be unfriendly places to be on an ebb tide….. I should have realized that I didn’t need to be an expert kayak surfer to know that the mouth of a river or bay is a dangerous place to be on an ebb…Even though I didn’t speak up out loud, in my head I was already getting concerned.. I ended up second guessing my own knowledge and experience, and automatically deferring to people of a higher skill level than I thought myself to be. I should have challenged this plan, based only on the simple fact that the mouth of a river or bay is a dangerous place to be on a strong ebb tide. I shouldn’t have needed to say anything more than that.” Mark Whitaker (8)
Tybee Island, Georgia(above): South Beach is where the action and crowds are. Here you find the Tybee Pavilion and Pier. Tides move quickly up and down the broad flat beach twice a day—6 to 9 feet vertically, and up to 300 feet horizontally.
At low tide, where South Beach wraps around to the Back River area, sand bars or shoals become exposed, stretching southward toward Little Tybee. From the far end, it looks like an easy swim to Little Tybee, but don't try it. Every year someone drowns in the attempt, underestimating the outgoing tides and currents. Where longshore currents meet outgoing and incoming tides in the sounds, tremendous turbulence is created, making for dangerous conditions. Keep a watchful eye on incoming tides so you don't become trapped on a quickly disappearing sand bar.
The pier south to the main jetty is officially approved for surfing. On days with good wave action, you will see quite a few trying their luck. Surfers also try the waves on the north side of the pier, but officially are not supposed to. (3) Apostle Islands(below)
1. Terry Smith, Rocky Mountain Sea Kayak Club, "Cumberland Island Georgia"
2. Up The Creek Expeditions, "Kayaking to Cumberland Island: What You Need to Know"; http://upthecreekx.com/2011/04/kayaking-to-cumberland-island-what-you-need-to-know-2/
3. Sherpa Guides, "Tybee Island South Beach Area"; http://www.sherpaguides.com/georgia/coast/northern_coast/tybee_south_beach.html .
4. Matt Broze and George Gronseth, “Sea Kayaker Deep Trouble,” Ragged Mountain Press.
5. Gregorio Borgia, Associated Press, Nicole Winfiled: “Divers in Italy Ship Wreck Find Two More Bodies.”
6. Risk, Safety, and Personal Responsibility; American Whitewater.
7. The Malta Times, 1/12/12: “Concordia Tragedy May Lead to Better Price Deals.”
8. Mark Whitaker, “Incident report, October 14th, 2011, mouth of Netarts Bay,” Lumpy Waters Symposium .
10. Sea Kayak Georgia
