Virginia Beach rescue teams save 3 from rip current near rocks at 1st Street Jetty

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. WAVY- On Sunday down at the 1st Street Jetty at Rudee Inlet, crews fought back against fierce rip currents and 15-to-20 mile-per-hour winds. 

Luckily no one was seriously injured, but as it was going on, no one was really sure what would happen. 

Thanks to the Virginia Beach Fire Department we have pictures of the harrowing rescue, where people in the water had to fight against current to stop from washing up on the rocky jetty. 

“There is a permanent rip current, and when you get a northeast wind that is blowing 15-20 like it did Sunday, and with surf that was three to five foot going straight against the rocks, that rip is moving as fast as you can see it. You are not going to get past it,” said Tom Gill, chief of the Virginia Beach Life Saving Service.

Two adults, a man and woman, were taken to hospital for evaluation and a child was unharmed and released to family.  

“These folks wandered into the wrong place at the wrong time and our guards were going down to talk to them, and within seconds they were swept out and everybody jumped into action.” 

Drone video from the fire department shows the waves crashing on the jetty, with swimmers dangerously close to a rocky landing. 

It was a jet ski-involved rescue that ironically had just been trained for last week. The training was going on behind Master Firefighter Sean Millard as WAVY interviewed him on Croatan Beach. 

“Stick time, get behind the skis see how they operate in different conditions, and riding scenarios on the back of the sled as compared to riding tandem,” he said.

Gill added: “The pictures don’t bring the sound of the wind, and the inability to communicate when you are next to each other, and the waves are crashing over your head.” 

10 on Your Side salutes those who helped in this rescue operation: the eight resort lifeguards, three fire-rescue swimmers, Fireboat 12 and Jet Ski 12.

Gill gives credit where credit is due.

“The real big thing was the Fire Boat 12 and Ski 12 stationed right here in the inlet. They were there immediately.” 

The current rescue training is so appropriate for rip currents, wind and rocky jetties.

“Today, our final scenario is a victim into the rocks, every third day we train on it, and it happened last Sunday, so it paid off so its fresh in everyone’s mind. Everyone was on the same page during the Sunday event.”

Shared from 10 on you side wavy.com 

Helicopter rescues Jet Ski destroyed by Giant Waves

As a big wave surfing legend, Kai Lenny sure must have seen some interesting things. Lenny has made big waves his passion, and this passion is not free of danger. If one wants to ride the big waves, one has to pay the price. This price might be broken bones, broken surfboards, or broken jet skis. The latter most happened with Kai Lenny, as he lost a beloved jet ski to the harsh tow at Jaws.  Fortunately, there are amazing Helicopter Pilots that can retrieve the carnage. From Watermen News

By Design: Examining the Jet Ski’s Giant Impact on Big Wave Surfing

“Oh, it’s had a humungous affect on the progression of big wave surfing over the past 30 years. No question. ”

This from Frank Quirarte, the renowned surf photographer and heavy water safety expert from Half Moon Bay, California who, having recently returned from an epic strike mission to Cortes Bank, definitely knows what he’s talking about. He isn’t referencing any particular surfboard design, breath-holding training method or inflatable vest. He’s not talking about different GoPro mounts, either. What Quirarte is pointing to as having arguably the single most significant influence on big wave surfing over the past few decades is the Jet Ski.

Peahi, Teahupo’o, Aussie bommies and slabs, Mullaghmore, Cortes Bank and, of course, Nazarè — all tackled at size with a hand on the throttle, and in each case completely redefining the parameters of what is considered to be rideable surf. Then there’s the paradigm shift when it comes to safety, with the introduction of precise teamwork and coordinated rescue protocol. Yet although having become ubiquitous in big wave lineups around the world, and the topic of much discussion and even controversy since gaining popularity in the early 1990s, the wider surfing world has been told virtually nothing about how and why these machines work, or, in fact, anything about their performance and design evolution. So let’s fix that right now. Read More

Santa Cruz County crews hop on jet skis to rescue stranded homeowners

Crews in Santa Cruz County hop on jet skis to rescue stranded homeowners on the San Lorenzo River in Felton Grove.

RWC Rescue Loop For Extreme Rescue

 

Pioneered in Hawaii more than 18 years ago by Waterman Archie Kalepa, the goal was to enable quicker rescue pick-ups instead of the left-hand grab. It proved itself in extreme conditions at Peahi (Jaws).

With the help of Archie, Waterman Unlimited designed our RWC (Rescue Water Craft) Rescue Ring for extreme rescue personnel.  Our bright orange, large polypropylene line with a large inner foam soft grip ring, make this the perfect addition to your tow-in, or rescue watercraft. 

For more see this video on Rigging and using the AK Rescue Ring https://youtu.be/BhW_iUiaIFI

Pro Surfers practice Jet Ski Rescue Training for Big Wave Surfing

Best time to train is in a controlled environment, so when things go sideways on the big day there is no question on what the right decision is to make.

Who’s Driving the Ski? This Is Where Big-Wave Rescue Teams Come From

Big waves have a certain mystique to them, at least when viewed from the beach or via the internet. When you get into the thick of things, with tons of water moving around, the mystique can fade pretty quickly. Now add the typical lineup chaos you might experience at a crowded break like Malibu or Pleasure Point, and shit gets downright horrifying.

With more and more people getting into surfing in recent years, surprisingly – or not – there’s also more and more people taking on the waves of Maverick’s, Jaws, and Nazaré. And unlike your local beachbreak, the crowds at big-wave locations can produce some truly life-threatening scenarios. I caught up with several rescue teams to learn about what these storied locations look like from the perspective of the rescuer, and the efforts being made in recent years to manage the crowds of chargers who come to test themselves on some of the biggest and gnarliest waves in the world. I basically wanted to find out where these rescue teams come from and why they do what they do. Read More

Airman At Sea

 

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Garrett Stevens, 6th Security Forces Squadron marine patrolman, operates a jet ski in Tampa Bay, Florida, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, March. 7, 2022. Marine patrol Airmen utilize boats, jet skis, and all-terrain vehicles to patrol and enforce all of MacDill’s coastal restricted area. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Hiram Martinez)

Jet Ski Rescue of Swimmers Struggling from HUGE Waves

 

Bryan is driving his jet ski back to the harbor at the end of his shift when he notices two swimmers in the water. A few minutes later the waves get bigger and someone comes across the radio to tell Bryan that the swimmers are now in trouble.

Extractor Pro Model PWC Rescue Sled

Special Aquatic Service (SAS) Water Safety first utilized the Extractor sleds back in 1997 and found them to be invaluable for PWC rescue operations and event support. Today, the Extractor PRO model has been an industry standard for quick rescue pick ups in the surfline, rivers and other near shore situations for the past 20 years. This model, due to its size and weight, is designed for use with PWC’s where a single rescue operator is available to operate the PWC, or may be used in situations where a rescue swimmer is used to assist the victim.

Extractor made the ‘original’ PWC rescue sled in winter of 1991 and patented the water rescue sled back in 1993.  Several revisions have been created over the years to improve durability, performance and adapt the sled to be able to connect with ever-changing hull designs of various personal watercraft.  Current sled designs have features that take into consideration the many different makes and models of personal watercraft.

Not all personal watercraft makes and models are ideal for connecting and using a rescue sled. For the models that do, the optimum connection between personal watercraft and sled differ slightly. Some pwcs already come with hard points ideal for towing, and some pwcs still require installation of hard points onto the rub rails, seat housing, transom or stern in order to provide the most stable and secure connection. 

Taking the time to properly mount your sled is critical: a sled that is too loose or too tight on the transom above the jet, can affect maneuverability and stability. In the worst-case scenario, this could damage your boat, the sled itself, or cause serious injury.

When mounting your sled, you will always want to keep three points for attaching the stern. Some connection systems utilize a solid hitch connection and others use soft rigging, like rope or webbing.  The solid hitch or the middle rope become the main tow point.  Ideally the shorter the connection is between the sled and pwc, the more the board will be stable in the water.

The Extractor Jet Ski Rescue Sled is the result of 30 years of experience, manufacturing several revisions of sleds, using different materials and construction methods along the way. Ultimately, the end users and customers have driven the demand for the current design, using the most durable materials, which can be molded into a hull shape that optimizes functionality for being towed behind a watercraft, which do not delaminate from water pressure working on glued seams, rot from sitting in the salt water or sun, and are recyclable, so they don’t end up polluting the ocean or taking up space in land-fills. The plastic is easily repaired and welded, minimizing time out of commission. 

Check out Extractor Sleds full line of sleds and rescue equipment

Rescue Watercraft for the Fire Service

 

The fire service is the epitome of adapting to the changing environment and the needs of the community. The leadership of the fire service continues to evaluate and meet the needs to our dynamic environments and response districts. The fire service of 2020 is not what the fire service of 2000 was, nor what it was in the ‘90s, ‘80s, or any previous era.

The public’s interest in the fire department goes much deeper than making sure we can handle any fire incident. We are the all-hazards agency that continues to be tasked with greater responsibility for helping those who live in or visit our communities. Many agencies have taken on more increased roles with the same or even less staffing. The term “emergency services” better defines our agencies today as we do much more the fight fires.

An area that has always received our attention is water-related emergencies. Today, we have more options to address emergencies on or in the water. The hazards in water-related rescues are vast and complicated. Swiftwater, ocean, and lake and pond environments have many different features without considering the environmental impacts.

In 2018, the Coast Guard counted 4,145 accidents that involved 633 deaths, 2,511 injuries, and approximately $46 million dollars of damage to property as a result of recreational boating accidents. These accidents contributed to a fatality rate was of 5.3 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels. (1)

Open water is a term that includes natural bodies of water (lakes, rivers, oceans) and man-made bodies of water (canals, reservoirs, and retention ponds). In 2016, open water drownings made up 43 percent of fatal childhood drownings (2).

If your agency has any open water, you must take these statistics seriously, complete a needs assessment, and look for ways to prevent these incidents. Beyond prevention, you must adequately prepare for and respond equipped and trained to rescue those in need.

Read More

Drifting Towards Catastrophe: What Water Rescue Teams Can Learn from Air Medevac Procedures

RWC Operations Risk Management

By Mike Hudson

On a typical, nondescript summer morning, a fire department water rescue team mulled through their morning preventative maintenance and checklists for its personal watercraft (PWC), which includes confirmation of hull integrity, including the insertion of the bilge’s hull plugs. After the checklist was completed, the rookie on the team was ordered to wash and rinse the inside and outside of the primary PWC, which requires the removal of the bilge plugs. Later that day, the team was dispatched to a water rescue “job” for multiple children caught in a rip current at a neighboring beach. Normally, the unwritten rule is to check the plugs before launching the PWC, but the crew deviated from that step and the craft was hastily launched into the four-foot surf; soon after, the engine compartment flooded, rendering the craft inoperable. Read More

Jet ski driver completes incredible rescue of big wave surfer at Nazaré

 

This is the dramatic moment a jet ski driver pulled off an incredible rescue of a big wave surfer at Nazaré in Portugal. The drone footage shows professional surfer Lucas Chumbo being towed into a monster wave on November 20th. 

After an impressive ride, the Brazilian exits the wave successfully and waits for his teammate Ian Cosenza to pick him up on the jet ski. However, as Cosenza approaches Chumbo, another huge wave rolls towards them threatening to flatten them both in the impact zone. Chumbo manages to grab onto the sled on the back of the jet ski and 

Cosenza accelerates as fast as he can towards the shore. But the drama doesn't end there: the two are now pursued by a mass of white water travelling at 60 miles per hour which quickly catches the pair and swallows them up. When something like this happens it generally doesn’t end well but against all odds, Cosenza manages to ride the jet ski out of the mountain of churning foam and get them both to safety. 

The WSL (World Surf League) described this as “one of the craziest rescues ever seen.” Chumbo is currently one of the best big wave surfers in the world.

Secret Service Wants Jet Skis to Protect Trumps: 'The First Family is Very Active in Water Sports'

 

The United States Secret Service wants to purchase two jet skis that would be used to train agents and help protect President Donald Trump—along with his family and friends—while at vacation properties located near the water, such as his exclusive south Florida Mar-a-Lago resort, according to an order request posted Monday.

The federal agency requested two Kawaski jet skis, watercrafts that each retail from $9,999 to $15,299. The request noted security challenges that special agents face when traveling with Trump to places such as Mar-a-Lago and the Hamptons.

"President Trump and his family spend several weeks throughout the year in Mara Largo FL and Hamptons NY. The First Family is very active in water sports," the request reads, which was first highlighted by Washington-based WRC-TV reporter Scott McFarlane.

"Several family members along with their guest participate in open water activities for which USSS Special Agent Rescue Swimmers are responsible," the request continues. "SA's have rented watercraft with their own personal funds to allow them to be near our protectees in various water environments to fulfill the USSS Rescue Swimmer mission."

The Secret Service said the jet skis would primarily be used for training exercises and would be stored at a training facility in Beltsville, Maryland. They would be transported via a dual trailer, which the agency also wishes to purchase.

's unclear as to when the jet ski quotes are due, considering the posting lists Tuesday but also says September 18 as the deadline, which would be Wednesday.

Currently, the Secret Service provides rescue watercraft training in North Carolina during a one-day course. However, the agency explained in its request, a three- or four-day training course provided by agents who are rescue swimmer instructors would be "more appropriate to become a proficient operator/rescuer on a" rescue watercraft.

The jet skis will "be outfitted with rescue sleds (in a separate purchase) that will be used by USSS Rescue Swimmers as training tools, as well as assets that can be used on a variety of protective missions, as needed," the request added.

The Secret Service also noted the agency's former partnership with local officials in Hawaii for when former President Barack Obama and his family vacationed there, stating that rescue swimmers used and trained with jet skis for the same reasons.

Naval Special Warfare Operating Jet Skis

 

Ever wondered how the Navy would pluck wounded special forces operators from an enemy beach, fast? Getting off an exposed beach in one piece, under incoming fire, is surely one of the most dangerous operations imaginable. It requires speed and great confidence in the personnel and machines involved. Surprisingly perhaps, commercial off-the-shelf water scooters, similar to the personal watercraft used by water sports enthusiasts the world over, are a popular solution among special forces.

Naval Special Warfare Command’s love of the humble Jet Ski, and they call them that even in official documents, has gone under the radar for many years. But they are now cropping up more and more often in the public domain. The Navy released photos of Jet Skis being used by Special Operations Forces in Greece in 2017, and with Thai forces during Exercise Tempest Wind 2019 in June. Most recently U.S. Special Operations Command issued a request for three Jet Skis to replace ones worn out during training. These will be used by the Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command in San Diego, California to prepare future Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC) who will operate small boats for the US Navy SEALs.

Jet Skis have the advantages of being quick and agile, and can operate in extremely shallow water including through the surf zone to a beach. Their main task is to extract special forces, and they can be used to pick up casualties, downed pilots or prisoners, or be used in counter-terrorism missions. To get where the action is they can be carried by larger boats or, for long range covert missions, in the hangar of the secretive SEAL Insertion, Observation and Neutralization (SEALION). These high speed stealth boats are semi-submersible meaning that they partially sink in order to reduce their radar signatures even further.

The US Navy is not alone in appreciating the merits of water scooters and several NATO special forces units also have them in their inventories. The Navy’s preferred model is the Yamaha FX Cruiser SHO, although other countries use a wide array of competing makes and designs. In Navy service the two or three-seat jet skis are highly modified and fitted with inflatable anti-roll collars and rescue sleds so that equipment or special forces can be towed behind. Naturally the crew can be armed, and machine guns can be fitted to help suppress enemy positions.

In the Persian Gulf the Iranian IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) use water scooters armed with rocket propelled grenades for reconnaissance and nuisance attacks on commercial shipping.

Special Forces are always experimenting with new ideas and technologies so new adaptions of the Jet Ski have been developed at Sofwerx, a Florida based innovation center which provides rapid prototyping of potential solutions for US Special Operations Command. Earlier this year they tested a submersible personal watercraft which can operate like a regular Jet Ski on the surface, but can also hide beneath the waves. This could allow it to be launched and recovered from a submarine, a capability which currently no Navy has.

Shared from Forbes by H Sutton

Hawaii Jet Ski Training - 4 POB offshore rough water

 

K38 and Shawn Alladio-Lead Instructor conducting military training working on our offshore echelon operations with a full load of personnel in rough water.

Drowning Risks: What You Need to Know and How P2P Rescue Helps

Did you know that drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional deaths with an estimated 360,000 annual drownings worldwide It’s a major public health problem we face, and there are plenty of people, groups, companies and organizations doing helping to prevent drowning, including P2P Rescue! Here’s a few things you should know about drowning risk in our world.

Risk Factors

Age: The three age categories that see the most drownings are 0-5, 20-25, and 60 and older. Drowning is the leading cause of death for toddlers and infants due to the inability to swim, poor adult supervision, and the lack of barriers separating young children from bodies of water. Inadequate supervision is another leading reason why older children are at risk for drowning, as parents sometimes overestimate how well their children obey safety rules when unsupervised. Ages 20-25 see an increase in risk because of participation in water sports and the tendency to be more reckless. For those older than 60, the risk is higher due to difficulty managing themselves in emergency water situations and potential health problems that can lead to heart attacks or low blood pressure while in the water.

Gender: Males are at a higher risk of drowning and are more likely to be hospitalized than females for non-fatal drowning. Studies suggest this is due to an increased exposure to water and generally riskier behavior, including swimming solo and drinking alcohol before swimming or operating a boat alone. Males are also more apt to participate in water sports and live near bodies of water for their careers.

Access to water: There’s always a higher risk when an individual’s occupation is around water, such as working in commercial fishing or using boats. Drowning risk also increases for those who live near open water sources, particularly children in such situations. There’s also a higher risk during warmer months when people travel to bodies of water for vacation and recreation.

Flooding disasters: 75% of drowning deaths occur from natural flooding situations like heavy rain, hurricanes, and tsunamis. This is especially true for people who live in areas that are prone to flooding and have limited options to evacuate.

Drowning Prevention

Although drowning takes a toll around the world, hundreds of thousands of lives are saved every year thanks to trained lifeguards and responders. At P2P Rescue, our goal is to help aid those lifesavers with our unique rescue board designs. From ocean to swift water to flooded conditions, each of our rescue boards are designed to withstand harsh environments and get responders to victims quickly. Take a look at all the boards we offer and see the difference P2P Rescue is making!

Jet Ski Rescue Hurricane Harvey Texas

Great work as always from tthe professionals at K38

Assisting the Frisco and Plano Fire Departments and Fairview Firefighters from Strike team 122 with an in progress rescue of their swifwater incident. K38 Team Leader Shawn Alladio performing a swift water rescue 9/1/2017 in the Vidor area of Orange County Texas, Thank you for the Facebook LIVE capture of this event Patrick Ingram who was a vital team member, thank you for all your support Patrick. Kawasaki USA #JetSki

Our team had just arrived on the Interstate 10 overpass direct from California when one of the firemen responsible for working the swiftwater rescue ran over to our vehicle and said he needed a Jet Ski to get this man out of the strainer. Michael Spencer immediately drove the Jet Ski trailer to the submerged section of the Interstate near the onramp and the team quickly removed the Jetski with the help of Justin Wilson from Texas. Shawn while still in her clothes, grabbed a helmet, lifejacket and a pair of work gloves and drove to the scene and brought the man out.

Incidentally over a dozen vessels ended up in the treeline of which each subsequent day the water flow increased and the strainers became more deadly. There were multiple fire departments assisting this incident, we thank them for all the work they did during this flood event. The fireman gave excellent commands and were methodical in thier approach to working with us without introduction or knowledge of our team capability. They gave us a lot of trust as an unproven asset and we thank them.

River Rescues With Jet Ski Legend Eric Chretien

 

When I introduce Eric Chretien to people in the river surfing community I always introduce him as Monkey and then proceed to tell them that Monkey is the world’s best jet ski support driver for any river. Eric, being the modest person that he is, corrects me and and says, ‘actually it’s Eric, and he’s just joking’. Joking or not, Monkey’s resume is world class and when talking river surfing he stands above and beyond anyone else as the man you can trust with your life.

HIGH SURF ACCESSORIES’ RESCUE SLEDS OPEN PWC TO ALL NEW USES

 

Although 2-and-3 seater personal watercraft runabouts have been around since the late 1980s, adding a rescue sled for watercraft rescue is a fairly new concept. Because PWC are mostly used for recreational use around lakes, rivers and oceans, and manufacturers have expanded the original recreational use of PWC to include racing and towing for water sports (such as wakeboarding, wakeskating, tubing), tow rescue and tow surf by use of a tow board is something that is only a decade or two old (although big surf pioneer Randy Laine was doing it waaay earlier, but that’s a whole other story).

Through the use of a tow board, PWCs have gained additional traction with big game fishing and scuba diving/divers, in addition to dive rescue and reef exploration. Rescue sleds, such as those from High Surf Accessories (HSA), have opened up personal watercraft to a whole new world of use. In terms of swiftwater rescue, HSA states, “There is no such thing as too much power, just too much throttle. In fact, high horsepower makes navigation in a water current safer for all involved. ‘Slow is pro’ in swift water navigation especially with an attached tow board, and the ability to cautiously navigate fast currents, large waves and difficult gradients is paramount.

“The RWC’s low draft means less underwater obstruction contact and the ability to operate at lower water levels than outboard engines without decreasing performance. Obstructions become more difficult to identify during downstream navigation, and operators in the standard PWC standing position can identify obstructions easier and earlier than other watercraft. The combination of low draft and no exposed prop also allows PWC to maneuver closer to obstructions for search or rescue operations.”

 KEVIN SHAW The Watercraft Journal