A day of halibut fishing took a nearly disastrous turn when Kyle Kautzman’s kayak began sinking off the coast of Washington.
Kautzman was fishing the shallows and headed out to deeper water. While fishing, the angler discovered the stern of his boat becoming submerged. The angler motored for the nearest shore he could find.
He later learned the culprit of the boat taking on water was a simple though costly error, he had forgotten to screw in the drain plug. The angler lost some tackle but was fortunate his kayak did not go completely below the surface and leave him treading in the cold water of the Pacific. In the video, Kautzman reflects on what occurred and what lessons he learned.
Kautzman did multiple things well once he realized what was happening. He immediately began to motor for the closest accessible shoreline. The angler also used his phone to establish contact with an outside party to provide his situation and whereabouts. The angler also had a pontoon attached as an outrigger to his kayak providing extra stability and buoyancy, and likely played a key part in keeping himself and the sinking kayak above water.
A few lessons from a kayak sinking at sea
First, be sure to dress appropriately for the waters and situation you are fishing in. Always dress for the potential of submersion. Waders can be dangerous, especially, if you don’t wear a wader belt to help prevent water from entering them. A drysuit is a better option because the gaskets keep virtually all water out of the suit. This both keeps you dry and afloat.
Second, in addition to a phone, anglers on open waters should carry a VHF marine radio to make immediate contact with nearby vessels and rescue entities such as the Coast Guard. You should also check your gear and be sure you have signaling devices on board to make visual and audible distress alerts.
Third, create a routine of checking small details that have large implications. Before you head out do a safety check. Be sure your drain plug and any hatches are closed. Have your lifejacket buckled, and check the zippers on your drysuit are closed. Little details can compound into deadly circumstances quickly.
These are just a few of the safety measures kayak anglers should be aware of on the water, and Kyle Kautzman’s willingness to share his close call provides lessons any angler can learn from to avoid disaster and enjoy bringing home a fresh catch.
This was a great share – thanks. I can see how the outriggers helped. Defintely the full suit would have made things less scary. One other tip would be to have had a loading strap, just the typical thule or other 1″ strap that you could have threaded through the front handle/tether. You can then loop that around your waist/butt and the tether and use the added length lower angle and pull from your lower body rather than from your shoulders and that high angle. Just something to think about. In my case I was on a river and had developed a crack under the stern. Was able to get to shore – that tie down helped immeasurably to allow me to get a water logged SOT out of the water and drain it. In my case was able to fire up the Torqueedo and get to my take out/launch. But had to stop two more times and repeat draining. That strap allowed me to move quick and with a LOT less effort to get it out of the water.