Travis Shearer is enjoying fishing some beautiful weather in the Pacific Northwest—cloudy, cold, damp and windy—when he notices an outboard-powered motorboat heading right for him. The motorboat is on a course to collide with his kayak, until just at the last moment, when it veers away. As the boat riders zip by, they shout out an innocent apology, and everyone’s day moves along, but the situation could have easily turned out worse.
In 2022 alone, the U.S. Coast Guard reported 1,085 accidents caused when one recreational vessel collided with another. As the first event to occur in an incident, it ranks number one. Stats that seem to say it can be tough to spot a 12-foot kayak in the water.
In the video, Shearer happens to be in the boat’s blind spot straight off the bow, and it doesn’t appear he was within a marked boat channel that would place him in a high-traffic lane. He also has an orange flag above the stern of his kayak to be visible. He gives an audible yell and likely waved his arms. It’s difficult to say whether the people in the boat heard him or just spotted him at the last moment. The skiff narrowly missed Shearer, but not all kayak anglers have been so lucky.
A Little Gadget to Prevent Collision
In Shearer’s post-incident monologue, wearing a bright orange PFD, he notes how close the boat actually was versus how it appeared in the video. He says it passed within 10 feet of him. He also shares a seven-dollar buy he keeps near him that may just save you and your kayak one day.
Shearer cleverly straps a small air horn to his rod holder, making it accessible within the moments you would actually need it. When a boat is speeding close to you and it is unnoticed until just moments, getting a captain on the radio over the noise of an outboard is worth a try but likely unsuccessful. One of these air horns can produce over 120 decibels and easily gain the attention of an oncoming boat.
This kind of audible device is sure to be louder than any yelling an angler can muster, regardless of how practiced you are at expressing yourself with fellow boaters.
I am appalled at us kayak fishing people and the lame approach towards flags. A tiny flag 6 inches taller than a seated person is essentially useless. I know you have a junky fishing pole in the garage. Get visible.