Recent fatality underscores need to know kayak safety

Chris Cramer, of Seattle, didn't think twice about taking an inexperienced friend kayaking on Lake Washington three years ago. The weather was warm and plenty of people were on the water.

But after his friend flipped his kayak and, unable to right it, struggled in the water for more than 10 minutes, Cramer says he's more cautious when going on kayaking trips.

"That was kind of a wake-up call. There were people around, but we were in trouble," he said.

Cramer now makes beginners practice basic self-rescue skills before taking them out on the water.

Inexperienced kayakers often find themselves in difficult — if not deadly — situations when they encounter variables they aren't prepared for. The Pacific Northwest coast, where water temperatures are dangerously cold year-round, is especially risky for boaters, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

A Seattle man died last weekend while kayaking near Port Townsend, after he and his friend overturned their kayak and were in the frigid water for about an hour before rescuers found them. The friend was taken to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition but has since been released.

The Coast Guard has responded to 18 boating fatalities in the Puget Sound area this year, three of them kayakers. Of the fatalities involving people in boats that are paddled, seven weren't wearing personal flotation devices.

Between 1996 and 2002, there were more than 120 kayak fatalities nationwide, according to the American Canoe Association, which tracks the paddle-boat industry.

There are many things to consider when kayaking in open water: Having the right equipment is more obvious, but knowing how wind affects paddling and how tides work for and against a kayaker is more complex.

"If you're just renting a boat for a day, you don't know any of that," said Cramer.

Greg Whittaker, who runs Alki Kayak Tours at Alki Crab and Fish in West Seattle, said novices should join a kayak group, get a guide and become educated on basic rescue skills before heading out.

"Go out and find the right instruction," he said.

Whittaker said kayakers should know their limitations — and anticipate that the water and wind can be unpredictable.

"You have to respect the sea. If you don't, that's when problems occur," he said.

John Meyer, an owner of Northwest Outdoor Center on Westlake Avenue North, suggests inexperienced boaters take beginner classes. Experienced boaters say a prepared kayaker should have a boat appropriate for the activity, protective clothing, a personal flotation device, safety and communication equipment, skills to re-enter the water and roll, and a partner with them.

One of the biggest dangers for kayakers in the Seattle area is the cold water, according to the Coast Guard.

The two kayakers involved in the Port Townsend accident both suffered hypothermia, according to East Jefferson Fire Rescue Chief Michael Mingee, and the boater who survived was hospitalized because his body temperature was so low.

Coast Guard spokesman Jeff Pollinger said sudden entry into the water can lead to cardiac arrest, even for those in good health, and the shock of the change in temperature causes people to lose muscle coordination within minutes.

That can occur in water as warm as 69 degrees, he said.

Unexpectedly ending up in cold water can cause a person to become incapacitated in just a few minutes, Pollinger said.

Christina Siderius: csiderius@seattletimes.com