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

Drones for Water Search and Rescue

The use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or “drones” for a wide variety of operations and businesses has been dramatically increasing both nationally and internationally.  The drone regulatory environment in the United States continues to evolve. New drone capabilities and more effective ways to use these capabilities are constantly being developed and implemented. Drones have quickly become the most widely used tool for many industries. From Police and Fire Departments to agriculture and energy operations, drones have become essential to boosting safety and productivity.

How does this important capability improve the SAR planner’s ability to search for persons in distress? Which drone is appropriate and most effective for a search based on the circumstances of the case? How does the SAR Mission Coordinator (SMC)/Incident Commander (IC) gain approval to use drones for a particular SAR operation? These are challenging questions that must be answered before contemplating the use of UAS in a particular SAR mission.

SAR Coordinators (SCs), SMCs/ICs, State, Tribal, Territorial/Insular Area, local SAR authorities, and volunteers interested in using UAS for SAR will also find important information and guidance in this Addendum in the development, management, and operation of their UAS programs.

What About Drones for Water Search and Rescue

Over the past few years, there has been an increasing interest in using Drones in support of water search and rescue.  Regardless of the type of water from flood, river, swiftwater, coastal, ocean, surf or ice, a drone can be another valuable tool in your toolbox to effectively, efficiently and most important of all safely assist with the conduct water search and rescue operations.

However, there is little evidence that they are used in a structured and strategic manner to best effect. An effective response is essential if lives are to be saved and suffering alleviated.

"In order to realize the true value of a drone’s capabilities in water search and rescue, Drone Pilots and SAR authorities from the Incident Commander (IC) on down need to gain experience by employing drones on actual SAR operations and in training.  Only then will you realize that drones provide another tool in the toolbox for the Incident Commanders that can and will prove invaluable."

A search and rescue drone used by emergency services, such as police officers, firefighters or volunteer rescue teams, is ideal for searching over vast areas for missing persons in need of rescue and in any environment.  Search times can be significantly reduced while limiting potential risk to the party being rescued as well as rescuers. There are many options and benefits to using drones for water search and rescue.

With a lifetime in all water environments to include coastal, ocean, surf, swiftwater, flood and ice rescue, safety, and over ten years in drone operations for public safety. SAS Water Safety and EMMU Aerial’s instructors can help your agency evaluate how drones can be used in the preparation for, and response to all water search and rescue emergencies.  We can also provide assistance with all your training requirements and develops standard operating procedures (SOP) for their deployment before, during and after an event.

The Drones for Water Search and Rescue Course was developed and designed to be taught in a three day format with 1 day classroom and 2 days situational field / flight training, where students already have a FAA Part 107 with basic flight knowledge and experience in land search and rescue. Students will gain knowledge and practical experience in hydrology and moving water dynamics, pre-planning, size-up, site control, scene management, drone platforms and payloads, aerial search techniques, rescue mission support, thermal imaging, night operations and lost person behavior. The course will enable the students to identify clearly their own limitations as well as those of the equipment, so that they will be able to utilize drones more safely and effectively.

Contact SAS Water Safety or EMMU Aerial today for more information on integrating drones into water search and rescue.

 

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

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.

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.

2019 SEA-DOO SEARCH AND RESCUE (SAR) IS READY TO RESPOND

Sea-Doo went all out with its 2019 Search and Rescue units (SAR). According to Sea-Doo, the SAR watercraft includes the specific features you need in order to respond to life threatening situations. The machines are ideal for rescue situations involving surf, whitewater rafting, floods, or use along rocky coasts. They are equipped with Sea-Doo’s Off-Throttle Assisted Steering to give the operator more maneuverability when laying off the throttle. This helps in aiding people in distress and will also assist in maneuverability in out of tight spaces. It also adds an additional steering effect to the steering mechanism. Read More

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.

Wipeout Wearable: Quiksilver’s Inflatable Vest May Save Surfers’ Lives

 

Surf brand Quiksilver partnered with diving equipment manufacturer Aqua Lung to develop an inflatable flotation device. The Highline Airlift, a CO2-powered inflation vest, aims to lift surfers who fall on big waves. 

Most surfers don’t wear floatation devices, even on sizable waves. Quiksilver wants to change that with the Highline Airlift, an inflatable floatation device small and light enough that it does not encumber athletes riding big waves.

Announced today, Quiksilver claims the Highline Airlift “is the pinnacle of water safety technology.” It uses compressed CO2 to quickly inflate airbags in a manner similar to those used by backcountry skiers caught in avalanches.

It’s worth noting the brand calls out the fact that it is not (legally) considered a PFD in the U.S. or Australia, but is in the European Union. It is “part of a holistic approach to ocean safety.” 

Shared from Gear Junkie

 

Secret Service Water Rescue Detail Go Through Grueling Training on Outer Banks

 

Cole Yeatts shouted instructions to 10 Secret Service agents gathered on the beach under the afternoon sun – nine men, one woman, all lean. They were learning another way to save the president of the United States.

“Who are we looking for and what are we looking at?” Yeatts asked. “Victim and …?”

“Waves,” answered an agent.

“Correct: waves,” Yeatts echoed.

Five of the agents lined up behind five 2-foot-long orange rescue buoys and pairs of swim fins propped in the sand.

Yeatts, director of Kitty Hawk Ocean Rescue, counted down: “One, two, three, go!”

The agents grabbed their gear and sprinted into the surf. One tripped and fell, but quickly recovered. All struggled to slip on the fins as waves broke across their backs. Instructors representing victims stood in chest-deep water about 100 yards offshore.

“We don’t make it easy on them,” said Sean Donlon, a special agent and water rescue instructor. “The protectee does not care how much training we have – he just wants to be rescued.”

In a real emergency, the victim could be former presidents George H.W. Bush, who loves boating at the family property in Kennebunkport, Maine, or Barack Obama, who loves to body surf in the large waves in Hawaii where he grew up, or a member of the Donald Trump family at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla.

These agents voluntarily exchange dark suits and earpieces for swimsuits and sunscreen.  They pull duty on beaches in Hawaii or Tahiti rather than wearing a bulletproof vest while guarding a motorcade in the middle of a crowded city. A regular detail of agents guards the person being protected at the same time the water-rescue agents also keep watch, Donlon said.

Three weeks and three days of intense instruction and tests begin at a Washington, D.C., pool. Some don’t pass the initial swim test of covering 800 meters in 16 minutes, or the requirement to swim a length of a 25-meter pool underwater four separate times with a minute break between laps.

On the beach, the Kitty Hawk rescue team grills them for two days. They learn to retrieve a victim using a variety of grips and bring them to shore through the unforgiving Outer Banks surf where at least six people drowned last year. The class learns to recognize rip currents, and may intentionally dive into the strong outward flow to get to a victim more quickly.

“This is not like swimming a pool,” Yeatts said.

The group then goes to the Coast Guard’s Air Station Elizabeth City for three days’ training with the nation’s best rescue swimmers. There they learn to deploy from helicopters and wrestle victims into rescue baskets.

Elsewhere, agents also train for white-water rescues. Former Vice President Dick Cheney loves to fish in rivers with rapids.

“This is one of the most demanding fields of Secret Service training,” Donlon said.

Next fall, the same group learns emergency medical treatment, a first for Secret Service agents. They will learn how to handle spinal injuries and heart attacks as well as jellyfish stings.

Of the 3,200 Secret Service agents stationed around the globe, 75 serve on the water-rescue detail, Donlon said. Typically, about 10 percent are women.

Many of the trainees have been lifeguards or college swimmers. Most are in their mid-30s with experience as an agent, Special Agent Scott Healy said.

The Secret Service began water-rescue training during the George H.W. Bush administration, Donlon said. The Coast Guard conducted it in the early years and still oversees the overall curriculum. The class began coming to Kitty Hawk in 2003 at the recommendation of a senior Coast Guard official.

Shared from First in Freedom Daily

California Rescue Water Craft Training

A five day, 40-hour POST certified course designed to provide marine patrol officers with the skills and practical experience to safely operate rescue water craft in inland waters, rivers, and oceans. Participants will gain practical knowledge regarding nomenclature, pre and post operation inspections, personal protective equipment, accessories, trailering, and troubleshooting vessel operational concerns. The course will cover navigation rules, weight loads, centering, close quarter maneuvers, docking, reverse functions, towing, rescue, and safe underway procedures. Participant skills will be assessed daily throughout the on-water training modules in regards to their physical ability, decision making processes, and underway operability.

USCG Sector Columbia River Cape Kiwanda Rescue

 Rescue Watercraft (RWC) operators rescued February 1, 2016.

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

Secret Service Agents on Jetski's as the Obamas hit the Water in Hawaii

The First Family have now officially hit the halfway point of their Hawaiian holiday and enjoyed a nice lie-in followed by an afternoon at the beach on the eighth day of their vacation.

However, while a regular bunch would just hit the sand and surf, the Obamas had their regular motorcade drop them at Bellows Air Force Station in Waimanalo, and Secret Service agents on wave runners circled them in the water.

The main task of the agents seemed to focus on stopping any other people in kayaks getting to close to the President, his wife and their two daughters. 

The officers could be seen telling different groups at the popular spot to turn around, as they sectioned off part of the water. 

There was also a strong contingent of local police on the ground.