Matt Krizan was paddling his kayak through an ocean lagoon Jan. 22 when he saw a wave the size of a condominium crash over surfers at Mavericks, the famous surf spot near Half Moon Bay.
Loose surfboards tumbled between the jagged rocks that separated the surf from the lagoon. It was then that Krizan saw a body floating amid the wreckage, about 150 feet away.
“If I had to put him on my kayak and paddle him in, it would have taken forever,” Krizan said.
The NYT also picked up on the story: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/us/30bbcsurfer.htm
I'll go on record as saying the spot should have a lifeguard (or two) on a rescue jetski. We don't need a body count (period). This is one of the gnarliest big wave spots on the planet. It killed Foo, and has almost killed a bunch of other guys (some of whom were rescued, still breathing, but a jetski operator.
Yea, okay a jetski might encourage people to go out there who are in way over their heads. Using that theory, you would have no lifeguards at any beach, or even pool. Hey, just stay out of the water, right? The thought of surfers unneccessarily dying in pursuit of our sport is sickening.
Tow-in is a whole different game. A bunch of jetskis buzzing the lineup is not a good idea.
I don't buy the scaring the harbor seals idea, or the sensitive marine environment in general. Use a four-stroke. One jetski is not going to make a darn bit of difference. Allowing it at Mavericks is not going to set a bad precedent either, because there is only one Mavs.
There should be a non-profit that provides the skis, operators, and training, paid for by surfers. Do it right.
In my view, the quandary NOAA faces is that for every Russell Ord, there's also a rowdy knucklehead with a "No Fear" neck tattoo who probably has as little respect for the environment as he does for others around him. A blanket PWC ban in a recognized Marine Sanctuary is a legitimate restriction that minimizes exposing sensitive marine wildlife to unnecessary disturbance and harassment from motorized thrill seekers. The boundaries of the Sanctuary are vast and cover miles of coastline that are not suitable for surfing, and don't receive any attention from surfers, surf media or the general public at large.
However, located in the heart of this Marine Sanctuary, Mavericks is a legitimate world class and iconic international big wave surfing destination. Surfers and media from the around the globe will always be attracted to its devastating awesomeness and physical challenge. The amount of attention Mavericks receives is financially and culturally beneficial to the local community. It would be a travesty of epic proportions if another surfer drowns at Mavericks (as Foo did prior to the popularity of photographers on PWCs). For the sake of common sense, and to enhance the safety of the vast hordes of paddle-charging surf maniacs at Mavericks, I think its a good idea to allow limited numbers of "registered" PWC operators to troll the channel at Mavericks during the winter surf season when there's a legitimate chance to perform a water rescue as Mr. Ord superbly demonstrated last weekend.
Here's an idea: a PWC enthusiast could be subject to a certification of their rescue skills, and then register with the HMB Harbor Master on the day they want to specifically drive out to Mavericks. They could hang a flag off their machine or wear a colored rash guard that identifies them as being certified/registered. The Harbor Master would maintain the ultimate authority to control the dates PWC are allowed at Mavericks and also the numbers of PWC in the channel on any individual occasion. PWC would only be allowed within certain boundaries legally identified as Mavericks and its defined access from the Pillar Point harbor.
@Paddle out, I agree 100%. Has anyone on this board been to Yosemite or any other national park and witnessed countless cliff rescues for mountain climbers or searches from missing hikers? They always seem to involve helicopters hovering very close to ground level. Now, I'm sure there are arguments that could be made about pollution and disturbance of wildlife by using these search and rescue helicopters. Should we ban those also and just tell anyone who hikes or climbs in our national parks that if an accident occurs, sorry, you're screwed and we won't come and help you?
@capra, those same services are present throughout the state, including Mavericks. Paramedics were on the ground and a rescue helicopter airlifted him to the best hospital. If he was washed out to sea, the Coast Guard would have been searching. Having lifeguards at Mavericks is the equivalent of putting nets on el cap or half dome. It's like having life guards on top of Mount Everest. Because someone chooses to paddle out in huge surf, cold water, rocks, etc..., knowing full well what the consequences are, it doesn't mean someone else is responsible to watch them at all times. Should there be lifeguards at OB? Way more people die in the water at OB.
I do agree that the pwc regs are overly restrictive. If people want to pair up, one on a pwc for safety and the other surfing, that should be allowed with the proper training and certification. But much like tow surfing, if you wouldn't paddle out without a pwc watching over you then you shouldn't be out there.
@minyan: you're writing as if the previous suggestions are talking about making it mandatory. They're not. They're talking about making it allowable.
I like @danimal's proposal. It's restrictive and reasonable.
@kooktastic: @paddleout first sentence "...the spot should have a lifeguard...".
I was really replying to @Capra with the wilderness rescue analogy, which I initially agreed with but then realized that those exact same services are in effect at Mavs too. Note, I fully agree with allowing pwc's to operate for safety purposes.
one interesting perspective from the article:
[start]
But Clark said Mavericks, with its popularity and allure, was too dangerous not to have the craft standing by.
“If one of those guys gets hit in the head by a surfboard,” he said, “then his other buddies are going to have to try to find him, get him on a surfboard and paddle him 600 yards in to the beach. He’s not got a chance.”
[snip][end]
He's basically describing what happened to Mark Foo. I find it interesting that Clark wants the pwc since he surfed Mavs alone for 15 years. I wonder what his take on pwc would've been back then?
@ Minyan: of course rescue helicopters and the coast guard are available for those at mavericks. BUT... In the ocean, after a rogue set of waves, the priority is getting the victim OUT of the water as soon as possible. This is where it differs from a mountain rescue. In this case, waiting for the coast guard would have been fatal. By the way, there IS a lifeguard system at OB, though somewhat limited. It's called the "beach patrol" and it's been in place since right after the summer of '98 when there were more than ten drowning fatalities at the beach in that single season. Since the beach patrol has been in place, the number of fatalities at OB has been a small fraction of that (at most) for any given year since.
