A family of six in a boat were thrown out when the boat capsized in a big wave. Fortunately, some nearby surfers went there to help rescue them.
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From what I saw in a video it looked like the capsized boat had gotten into a situation that was very foolish. It was very fortunate that there were other people around who knew what they were doing and were able to help.
I think that most (nearly all) of us who have spent a lot of time on the water would jump in and help if we ever saw anyone in need. People will make mistakes, people with less experience on the water might be more likely to make mistakes, the ocean can be very unforgiving, and we should all do whatever we can if the situation arises.
The closest I have ever come to giving anyone aid on the water was when we were staying at a cottage on the water in coastal Maine. There was a family renting the cottage next door, who had a small sailboat tied up to a dock. The boat came untied and started drifting away, but towards our dock. I ran down and had the very good luck of getting to our dock just as the loose boat also arrived at our dock. I just took the boat back where it was supposed to be, tied it up properly this time, and walked back to the cottage where we were staying. Later I found out that the teenage son of the people staying next door had built the small boat by himself. It was a beautiful work of art that could have been ruined or lost if we had not had the good luck to see it get loose, and have it drift straight to our dock, and been able to catch it in time. However, no person was ever in danger in this case.
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And fortunately those little kids all had life jackets on and popped right back up out of the water.
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We’ve had some good weather, the past couple of weeks in California, with a little bit of rain in between, and sometimes I think people expect California weather to always remain sunny and calm.
Smart residents know that we’re still in winter and have had a lot of wind and inconsistent temperatures. We’ve had some Santa Ana‘s winds, in certain areas of California. Not necessarily in the Santa Cruz area.
Mother nature will vary with temperatures, clouds, sun and wave patterns. Smart boaters prepare for the worst, or don’t go out at all.
It is also important to check the marine weather forecast before going out on the water. If there is anything dicey about the weather, stay on land. There is an old saying that the most dangerous thing on the water is an inflexible schedule.
Although I did not think that this was the main problem in the recent case of the family rescued by surfers. The weather looked pretty reasonable in the video.
Flea Virostko, one of the rescuers who just happened to be surfing there that day, is a big wave legend who won Maverick’s three times. For fans of surf films, he’s in one my favorites, Step into Liquid.
Those boaters were very lucky, and major kudos to the young surfers who sprang into action.
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