SEASON CAN TURN DEADLY FOR THE UNPREPARED
Summer has officially arrived, so that means more boats out on the Delta, more people going for a swim at beaches and lakes, and more people out on the trails.
It also means more potential for recreation-related accidents and fatalities. While summer is regarded as one of the more carefree times of year, it can also be one of the more dangerous, whether the risk is sunburn, heat exhaustion or drowning. That’s particularly true in the Bay Area, with its beautiful weather and plentiful outdoor opportunities.
During this time of year, hospital emergency room visits increase by 14 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Doctors treat anything from sunburns and heat stroke to bug bites and lawnmower injuries. But ranking high among the top reasons people end up in the hospital are water-related injuries, many of which can be prevented.
Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death in children ages 1 to 4 and ranks fifth among the leading causes of unintentional injury death for people of all ages. It can happen at the beach, in a pool — which is usually the case for children — or on a boating trip.
When it comes to recognizing the signs of pool drownings, CDC Medical Epidemiologist Capt. Julie Gilchrist said most people are looking for scenes straight out of a Hollywood movie, but it hardly ever plays out that way.
“Drowning is silent, and it happens in seconds,” Gilchrist said. “The last thing someone drowning wants to do is raise their arms because they’ll sink faster.”
She said victims attempt to swim, but their efforts look uncoordinated. Their head drops repeatedly underwater, and they attempt to roll onto their back.
Out on the ocean, swimmers in peril look slightly different than they do in swimming pools.
Whenever Brendan Daly, a Santa Cruz County Fire marine safety officer, is manning the lifeguard tower, he isn’t looking for someone frantically splashing around or crying out for help.
What he’s scanning the water for is someone with their back to the waves, head tilted upward and hair possibly covering their face.
Last year, Santa Cruz County lifeguards performed 257 rescues between Memorial Day and Labor Day. During the same period, two persons drowned.
“People usually overestimate their own swimming abilities,” Daly said. “They think the ocean is like a swimming pool, but it is a very unique envi-
ronment and it changes really fast.”
Francis Smith, a UC Berkeley coastal oceanographer, has been studying rip currents on the West Coast for decades. He said even the most experienced pool swimmers can find themselves in need of rescue or the victims of drowning.
If you ask him what’s the most dangerous beach in the Bay Area, he’ll tell you it is 50 miles north of San Francisco.
The powerful underwater channels in Point Reyes Beach, also known as Great Beach, can easily sweep unsuspecting victims out to sea.
“The place where rip currents are have a tendency to be calm,” Smith said. “You are better off swimming where the waves are breaking than you are going where there aren’t waves.”
In Contra Costa County, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is the most popular destination for cooling off during the summer. It is also an accident hotspot.
On weekdays, the murky and choppy waters attract fishermen and kayakers. The weekends, not so much. The area is usually teeming with boats, personal watercraft and alcohol Friday through Sunday.
“It’s a big party out here,” Deputy Lance Morrison said. “We see people ignoring the speed limit, not knowing what side of the Delta to drive on and boating under the influence.” One thing he said stays consistent all week is the number of people not wearing a life jacket.
Less than a month ago, the Contra Costa County Marine Patrol responded to two fatal incidents outside its jurisdiction. The unit was able to arrive at the scene before its Sacramento County counterpart because of its proximity to the county border. The first victim died while attempting to rescue his son, and the second died after he jumped into the water to retrieve his hat. In both cases, the individuals were not wearing a life jacket.
“The temperature of the water is insulting to the lungs, and the current is strong,” Deputy Doug Powell said. “Both deaths could have been prevented by wearing a life jacket.”
Last year in Northern California, there were 266 boating accidents that resulted in 150 injuries and 36 fatalities. The Delta and San Francisco Bay were at the top of the list of accident-prone areas.
While out on a scheduled patrol last week, Powell and Morrison spotted a vessel that looked perfectly in order. Powell waved, and the three fishermen on the boat smiled and waved back.
Suddenly, the patrol boat stopped and shifted direction. The officers noticed something was missing on the side of the boat — a registration sticker. That’s probable cause to stop the boat.
While Deputy Morrison ran the vessel number on the computer, Powell went through every item on the safety checklist. Are there enough life jackets on board for every person on the boat? Where is the throwaway device? Where is the fire extinguisher?
The boat failed the inspection.
In California, boatingsafety classes are not required to operate watercraft. Many of the people the marine patrol unit stops are not aware that by law there must be a life jacket on board for each person or that recreational boats over 16 feet must have a throwable flotation device on deck.
The flotation device on the boat Powell and Morrison stopped was stowed at the bottom of the boat.
“The current is strong here, and visibility is only 2 feet,” Powell said. “By the time they retrieve it, it can be too late.”