Nov 26 2008

Thanksgiving Tragedy at Oxnard Beach

Published by at 07:40 under Sailing

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deadly boat ride

All the king’s horse’s, all the king’s men and all of the county’s water rescue resources couldn’t save everyone in this (roughly) 15′ boat yesterday (11/25/08). At least one man died when their boat capsized in head-high surf at Oxnard Beach. All the king's horses

Though I’ve contacted several of the agencies involved, no one is clear on how these guys got in trouble. My guess is that they just got too close to shore due to inattention while fishing and/or their motor quit and they drifted in, not thinking (or not equipped) to drop an anchor or to paddle out of danger.

The salient point for all boaters is that all of their life jackets reached shore, but the victims were not in them. Ventura County Sheriff Helo At least one man was hauled from the scene in cardiac arrest, other bystanders said two of the three were receiving CPR as they were being transported to the ambulance.

They were tossed into water just a bit over their heads. But that water is getting chilly – somewhere in the low-60′s and they were dressed for cold air temps in layers and warm shoes. They certainly didn’t dive or jump in any controlled way; they were thrown in.

Picture it. Picture yourself there.

Soap Box
One of our safety catch phrases in Naval Aviation was Gravity Has Respect for Neither Rank nor Experience.

The sea is nearly as unforgiving as gravity. I don’t know if all of these guys would have survived if they’d been wearing their life jackets instead of sitting on them, but it certainly would have improved their survival odds.

Next time I see you (Sailtimers) at sea without a life jacket, you’ll know exactly what my grimace means. On the other hand, maybe I should smile, perhaps you’ll boost the Chaplain Dan side of my business.

Photos: Ed Saldana ©2008

For a follow-up story from the local paper, click Ventura Star

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5 responses so far

5 Responses to “Thanksgiving Tragedy at Oxnard Beach”

  1. # Betsyon 26 Nov 2008 at 08:59

    Thanks for sharing this sobering story Dan. Having recently had an ‘oh-sh*t’ experience myself I can affirm how rapidly things can change from ‘a glorious day on the water’ to ‘the worst day of your life’. I’ll be interested in hearing more details, but that won’t reverse the outcome of this fatal accident … As for PFDs – possibly could have saved their lives; at the very least, they buy you time.
    My sympathy to the family. Thanksgiving greetings to all.

  2. # Rob Walton S/V R Escapeon 26 Nov 2008 at 09:25

    Amen father D…

    At one time, helmets and seatbelts were a personal choice and the ignorant suffered from Darwin’s theory. The act of wearing or sitting on your lifejacket is still “your choice”, are you willing to prove the theory?

  3. # Steve Van Hookon 26 Nov 2008 at 10:38

    Wow — thanks for sharing the photos. We actually watched this on Imagine from a safe distance offshore, lifejackets on and sails reefed for the 20 knot winds. We saw all the emergency vehicles for more than an hour and figured it was a fatality.

    It’s great how you turn these bad events into good learning lessons!

  4. # Steve Van Hookon 26 Nov 2008 at 10:47

    BTW, all the weather reports had called for minimal winds — the blast of 20+ knot winds along the shoreline were not on anyone’s mind heading out. Just goes to show that anything can happen in a flash in spite of all the best preparations.

  5. # Eric Naftulinon 26 Nov 2008 at 16:04

    Thanks for posting this. I run a summer camp for kids in los angeles called Aloha Beach Camp. All of our camp activities consist of aquatic sports like boating. This is a very sobering story and an important reminder to ALWAYS wear coastguard approved, properly-fitting lifevests for all boating activities. Wow.

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