www.islandpacket.com/2014/07/16/3214138/paddleboarders-caught-in-storm.html Pretty irresponsible SUP rental practices if you ask me. Sure, rent a board, paddle right out to the Atlantic.... 5 minutes later, dude did you tell them about the storm coming? What storm? Drifted 8 miles. Not sure how they "lost the tree line" unless it was super gloomy out, cause you can see Tybee from every angle on the Hilton Head south and eastern coasts.
rain obscures the tree line if you have a map and tree lines at different distances you judge storm speed land nav is hard for some people
Understandable. But still, why are they taking paddleboards out into the open ocean? There are intracoastal waterways on the backsides of these islands that they use for that, and those have strong currents too, but you aren't dealing with swell and other open ocean elements. I mean, the paddle board shop can't control what people do with them when they walk out the door, but come on man. I am not just going to rent a kayak in Hawaii and paddle out to sea on it. Like, Ohh sh**, I was on Maui a few hours ago, not I am on Lanai. Wait, why is that guy missing an arm and what are those spots all over him?
"they let go of their paddleboard" Never ever ever do this. You can paddle with your hands, if needed. But just swimming is such a dumb idea. They are very lucky they made it. "As the Underwoods drifted, several boats passed but their screams for help were unheard over the sound of the motors, Summer said." This is very sad. I don't care where I am, if I see people waving at me or signalling, I am stopping the boat. Maybe the boaters didn't see them, but I like to be very aware of my surroundings personally.
getting picked up by shrimpers would have been worse than death for these two they'd be tied up in some tybee lowlifes rape shed
True. They obviously didn't understand that the SUP keeps you out of the water, and that reduces the tug of the current.
athens GA is a festering boil I wonder if they comforted each other by spooning and hugging and kissing....I mean it is the south and a man CAN dream
Well they are women and they don't run on logical thinking, we could theorize all day on why they did what they did and get no closer than we are now to a tangible/correct answer. Obviously their overall lack of experience (in many facets) really came into play here. Thanks for the read. I formerly worked as a lifeguard, this happens more than you think, especially with a hard west wind. Newbie takes the board out and gets so wrapped up in the experience but when they take a moment to relax they realize they have been pushed out past their limits by the off shore wind. Most people don't have the strength, stamina, or experience to feel comfortable in that situation. Adrenaline and panic kick in and within a few minutes they are drained. Although I just wrote it happens more than you would think, I am a little surprised this doesn't happen more often. The SUP craze has gotten nuts (SUP YOGA ) especially with women and male fitness fairies who are not really safe out on the ocean without supervision.
At least they had life jackets on. Being their first time on a paddle board, I would bet that side by side paddling with their arms never crossed their mind. And the Calibogue has a HUGE rip down by south beach. That whole water way sweeps in and out. You can tell what the tide is doing just by looking at it. They easily could have died out there. In numerous scenarios. I had this same conversation with my wife's cousin's husband last week. He was like hey dude, we are doing SUP Yoga classes now. Want to come to one? No Thanks.... Yoga is not my thing. But I have to ask, you actually take these people out in the water on the SUPs? Yes. Do you give them safety instruction? Yes, about a 5 minute run down. And what do you do when the 65 year old woman falls of her board into an oyster bed? That hasn't happened yet. Do you take them out in the intra coastal or in the ocean? Right now, the intracoastal. So, you have a bunch of old ladies, that have never been on a board of any kind, trying to do the downward dog without falling off the side of the SUP? Especially with all the crazy currents, underwater obstacles? Yeah, pretty much.... Cool, hope you got good insurance. People are silly. I was at my restaurant last spring, on the instra coastal side. We have a public boat landing right next to us. A lot of the kayak and SUP companies launch from there. So, anyway, it was probably March and I see two frie trucks and an ambulance roll up, 5 minutes later, there is a guy on a stretchers, looks half dead, pretty old. I walk down to the paramedics once they load the guy up. I say, what happened? The guy says, this guy rolled over in his kayak... I say, okay, so how is he hurt.... Well, the guy is old, not a strong swimmer, so when his kayak rolled, he was just left out in the open water floating. He is very cold, and seems to be in some sort of shock... He will be okay.... So, this 70 year old dude goes out in a kayak, he simply rolls the thing and just sits in the water, waiting for death to swallow him up. I am like, WTF is wrong with people?
So this means that there are two SUPs out there, lethal weapons that those things are, drifting around on the ocean. An accident waiting to happen.
sups should be reserved for rivers,not the sea.i think it would be fun to go supping down the Delaware river,but as far as surfing on one,its like taking a schoolbus on a nascar race track.u cant do anything cool on it,and its exremelty dangerous for everyone near by.i remember this winter I saw a kayak in the shipping channel in the Raritan bay.dude was fukin farrrrr out lol.
