Coast Guard urges kitesurfing safety - San Francisco

[alexglebov]

San Francisco - The Coast Guard is reminding kite surfers Friday to operate with caution over the weekend after Coast Guard crews, Coast Guard Auxiliary crews and two good Samaritans conducted four rescues last weekend near Crissy Field.

Coast Guard responders attributed last week's distress calls to a combination of weather changes and inexperience, and are reminding kite surfers that low winds can result in becoming stranded.

Kite surfers should have a method for calling for help, such as a handheld waterproof marine VHF radio. They should also check the forecast before going out to find out when windspeed will be optimal.

"If a person is new to the sport, we recommend they go out with a more experienced buddy while they learn their limits," said Lt. Cmdr. Krysia Pohl, a marine safety specialist at Coast Guard Sector San Francisco. "Kite surfing can be challenging and we've seen a few situations lately where it seems like people have underestimated the difficulty. Kite surfers should always go out with a buddy or at least have someone who’s tracking them from shore. No one should ever leave the beach without telling someone."

The first of last weekend's rescues took place Saturday around 5 p.m., when a kite surfer lost his board and was stranded near Angel Island. Following a Coast Guard urgent marine information broadcast, a good Samaritan found and assisted the kite surfer.

On Sunday, the crew of Coast Guard Auxiliary boat Silver Charm and the ferry Oski assisted two downed kite surfers in separate cases between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Then around 5:30 p.m., Coast Guard watchstanders received a report of another downed kite surfer who appeared to be unconscious near Crissy Field. The Silver Charm crew arrived on scene and pulled the kite surfer out of the water. Two crew members from Coast Guard Station Golden Gate embarked on the Silver Charm and conducted CPR and administered an AED while the vessel transited to shore. The crew members reportedly revived the person before transferring him to emergency medical services personnel waiting on shore. The man was taken to San Francisco General Hospital in critical condition.

The Coast Guard recommends all kite surfers wear a life jacket and a helmet, carry a hand-held radio while in the water and never leave the beach without telling someone on shore and then reporting back after they have returned. Additionally, the Coast Guard recommends that kite surfers mark their equipment with name and contact information in the event they get separated from their equipment.

[deniska]

you should have used past tense

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 06/08/2018 05:47 PM EDT

https://content.govdelivery.com/account ... ToLxVHa0ps

[apollo4000]

Anyone in UK using a hand-held radio device of any sort?

[tegirinenashi]

I assume the hand held radios are like TI-84 calculators these days. Wouldn't smartphone do everything that handheld radio does, but just better?

[POACHER]

Do these kiters get charged for the rescue?
I would assume yes?...

[deniska]

I assume the hand held radios are like TI-84 calculators these days. Wouldn't smartphone do everything that handheld radio does, but just better?

I doubt... Smart phone depends on cell towers and the cell tower operators don't see sailors as their main target group. So you may find that there will be no cell service as close as a mile or 2 away.. I think there is a pager/beacon that uses iridium satellite network to send an SOS page with your coordinates, but I forgot the name..

[deniska]

Do these kiters get charged for the rescue?
I would assume yes?...

Probably not in the US, unless they did something really really stupid.
I had two coastguard rescues in NY and never got billed a dime..
your tax money at work

[tegirinenashi]

I assume the hand held radios are like TI-84 calculators these days. Wouldn't smartphone do everything that handheld radio does, but just better?

I doubt... Smart phone depends on cell towers and the cell tower operators don't see sailors as their main target group. So you may find that there will be no cell service as close as a mile or 2 away.. I think there is a pager/beacon that uses iridium satellite network to send an SOS page with your coordinates, but I forgot the name..

I'm surprised there is no marine radio app... Lots of police/911 radio frequency scanners, but no radio? I assume that marine radio is glorified Walkie Talkie, and there are such apps out there.

[madworld]

San Francisco board sailing association marine radio guide.

https://www.sfba.org/marine-radio-guide.html

[tegirinenashi]

Marine VHS radio can be bought for as low as $30, which settles the issue.