Last night we reported briefly on the rescue of a kayaker off Alki Point. Turns out the Seattle Police Harbor Patrol pulled him – and his kayak – out of the water, and this afternoon SPD Blotter published video of the rescue.
It’s so interesting how hard it was to see the kayaker when they headed out. We are lucky to have harbor patrol.
Me and my GF saw from my deck when this first started happening last night. After observing for about 20-30 minutes we called the coast guard of the incident and reported location and distance and harbor patrol was dispatched. Super happy he was ok and and confirmed with coast guard at time he was pulled into harbor patrol when they called me back. Glad we just didn’t ignore this and did reach out when we realized someone needed a little help. Hope someone would do the same for everyone else. Stay safe!
Glad he was wearing a personal flotation device (PFD) and had the sense to ‘stay with the boat,’
but the blooming popularity of kayaks and kayak rentals will lead to more of these incidents with different consequences.
This week I witnessed two inexperienced kayakers, capsize and panicked in Elliot Bay next the rental cove.
Someone from the beer garden rescued them.
This kayaker appeared to have the proper gear, but no partner! and he evidently had not learned self-rescue techniques in a pool or close to shore.
You need to have a wet suit or dry suit if you are kayaking off of Alki. He is lucky to be alive, hypothermia had him in its clutches.
Love seeing this. Great lessons, great PD focus on helping. I could be that guy with a few alternative decisions, so glad this worked out fine. Our cold water Sound is no joke to be for more than a few minutes.
Any details on what caused this kayakers distress, and then confused state? Hypothermia, shock, exhaustion?
Once again, Thank you SPD Harbor Patrol. Great save. I couldn’t even see him in the water until they were right up on him. Hope the Kayaker is safe and warm somewhere today/tonight. Glad he was wearing flotation equipment .
Thanks SPD, great response. I would assume this guys does not want the police defunded.
This kayaker was lucky. Should have been dressed for the water temperature and not the air temperature. It looks like he didn’t have a spray skirt, and it’s hard to tell if the kayak had bulkheads. Seattle Parks department in the past has offered kayaking classes, a must for anyone venturing out into Puget Sound.
THANK YOU SPD HARBOR PATROL. You are amazing. And thank you everyone for pointing out the things that the kayaker could have done differently. I learned so much watching the video and reading the comments.
I want to thank the coast guard and their quick response when we called this in from my home on beach drive. We saw this man capsize and he truly tried to get back in and make it to shore. After 20-30 minutes we were really worried, not able to get stay afloat, floating toward shipping lanes and also approaching dusk that we made the call. The Seattle Coast Guard was attentive to the situation and asked us to keep an eye on him while help was being sent out. They did call back at the time that he and his kayak was being pulled on board and thankfully in the path of an oncoming vessel. Glad he is OK, thanks to harbor patrol, and thanks to the US CG for taking the call and responding. I’m also glad that we did not just think this was something to ignore… I always hope that someone would do this for me and my loved ones. HOO-YAH to those all involed!
Thank you for noticing and helping this kayaker, and for sharing what happened! I was wondering how they ended up in distress. Glad there were people like you and harbor patrol to help, and hope the kayaker is doing better today.
Oh man. He was v-e-r-y lucky. I’ve seen that kind of fatigue and dazed behavior before when a person is in distress and in the water for too long. I’m very glad we have such confident Harbor Patrol available to rescue. If somebody saw this guy and called this in – you did good.
My boyfriend and I watched this kayaker from his patio across from Constellation Park – he was a Navy Deep Sea diver for 12 years, did 2 tours over seas, and countless rescue missions. He watched him in the water for 40 min or so – called the coast guard, gave them his exact location 300 yards off shore and we watched the rescue. The coast guard called him back to confirm they were picking up the correct kayaker. I think going into Memorial Day we all need to realize that people who serve our country always serve – day in and day out. I’m thankful that the kayaker is okay.
Wow that’s really amazing! Thanks to your boyfriend for his past and continued service in the community! 🇺🇲
I’m so glad this kayaker is safe and was able to be rescued. Thank you SPD.There are great businesses like Alki Kayak Tours and Kayak Academy that teach Kayaking 101 and Self-rescue technique classes.This kayaker was missing a spray skirt to prevent water from entering the boat, a bilge pump to remove water from the boat, a paddle float to provide stability so he could more easily re-enter the kayak, and was not wearing a dry suit or wetsuit. I think this kayak had bulkheads, which will prevent the kayak from sinking (unless the covers come off), which is good. And yes, the buddy system is good, but two untrained kayakers can end up in the water trying to rescue the other.Thank you for posting this video, it’s very rare to get a glimpse of the circumstances for these kayak rescues. With proper preparation kayaking is safe, even solo.Kayaker Deep Trouble is an awesome book detailing many solo and group kayaking incidents along with how they could be prevented.When I kayak solo I wear a dry suit, carry a VHF radio along with a Personal Locater Beacon, wear a PDF, and spray skirt. Also have a bilge pump, paddle float, extra paddle strapped to deck and paddle leash. Also have inflatable bags in the bulkheads in case the covers come off. I can also roll my kayak back up and have practiced many self rescue techniques.I know, it’s a lot, but even some of these measures can save your life. Please consider taking a course from the above businesses if you are just getting into kayaking.
It’s in the link from SPD, they were patrolling in the area and found the kayak floating with no one on board. Pulled the guy to safety and transported him to SFD who took him to the hospital. During the defund movement the City Council proposed closing the SPD Harbor Patrol unit. Had that been successful the outcome of this could have been critically different.
I saw him fall into the water with a big splash – we were eating dinner in my boyfriends patio. My boyfriend was a Navy Deep Sea diver for 12 years, did 2 tours over seas, and countless rescue missions. He watched him in the water for 40 min or so – called the coast guard, gave them his exact location 300 yards off shore and we watched the rescue. The coast guard called him back to confirm they were picking up the correct kayaker. I think going into Memorial Day we all need to realize that people who serve our country always serve – day in and day out. I’m thankful that the kayaker is okay.
Thanks to Jen and Steve and anyone else who was watching out for this kayaker. It is great to see that folks continue to take care of each other. Also, thanks to SPD for pulling him and his kayak from the water.
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